Lily Potter and the Heir of the Phoenix
by BubblyShell22
Summary: Lily Potter's first year at Hogwarts is filled with new friends, new enemies, and a secret about the legendary Heir of the Phoenix.
1. Chapter 1

Lily Potter and the Heir of the Phoenix

Chapter 1: Anticipation

A/N: I've decided to write a Harry Potter story because I'm such a huge fan of the series. This story will take place during Lily's (Harry's daughter) first year at Hogwarts. This is my first Harry Potter fic, so I'm asking you to be as kind as you can be when leaving a review. I hope that you enjoy this fic.

Summary: Lily Potter's first year at Hogwarts is full of new friends, new enemies, and a secret about the legendary Heir of the Phoenix.

Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling. I own the original characters that are used in this story.

It was a sunny day in Godric's Hollow. Birds were singing, and the leaves were changing color in the trees. A girl was peering out the window and scanning the skies. Anyone passing by would just think she was daydreaming or looking out the window to pass the time. However, Lily Potter was waiting for a letter from Hogwarts.

Ginny Potter came into the kitchen and saw her daughter looking out the window. She had been doing this since her birthday, hoping the letter would come soon. Ginny remembered how she had longed to go to Hogwarts and how eager she had been to receive her letter.

"Lily, come outside for a spell," Ginny urged her. "Some fresh air will do you some good."

"I can't," Lily replied. "I have to wait until it comes."

"Sweetheart, you've been waiting for days," Ginny pointed out. "You need to take a break. A watched sky doesn't bring owls. Perhaps if you occupy yourself with something else, the letter will come."

Lily was about to say something when her brothers and father came in followed by their dog Snuffles. Lily braced herself for the bout of teasing she was going to get from James for looking out the window again. Albus gave her a sympathetic look as though he knew what she was going through. In a way, he did know because acted the same way after James started at Hogwarts.

"We thought we'd find you here," James said. "You'd better give it up, Lil. It's probably been lost."

"Well, if it is, so is yours," Lily retorted. "That means you'll have to stay home, too."

"C'mon, Lily, let's go play Quidditch," Albus suggested. "It'll get your mind off the letter."

"Yeah, and I'll beat both of you," James added.

"No, you're going to de-gnome the garden," Harry told the boys. "They've been ruining the flowers again."

"We can do that after we play Quidditch," James protested. "It won't take long."

Harry gave his son a stern look. "James Sirius Potter, you will do what I say," he said firmly. "De-gnome the garden and then you can play Quidditch." He turned to Ginny. "Are the twins asleep?" he asked her.

"They should be," Ginny replied. "I know they don't want to take a nap, but they have to, or they'll get cranky."

After Albus went to Hogwarts, Ginny gave birth to fraternal twins named Ariana Lily Potter and Sirius Harry Potter. When they were born, Harry couldn't believe how his family had grown from three kids to five. Now, at two years old, the twins were as mischievous as their big brother James had been when he was that age.

Just at that moment, the twins came into the room, wondering what was going on. Lily smiled as she looked at her little brother and sister. Ariana had red hair and green eyes just like their grandmother Lily while Sirius had black hair and brown eyes. Sirius was just as much of a troublemaker as his namesake, always poking into things. Ariana usually copied him because she figured that she had to do so since she was his twin.

"Aren't you two supposed to be napping?" Harry asked them.

"No nap!" Sirius replied. "No s'eep."

"All right, you don't have to sleep," Ginny said. "I suppose you've slept long enough. I think it's time for lunch."

"Good idea," Harry said. "It'll be better than the rubbish food I have at the office. That reminds me that I've got the night shift tonight, so I don't know when I'll be back. I promised to cover Lawson since his wife's ill."

"That's fine, Harry," Ginny told him. "Lily, take Sirius and Ariana outside and keep an eye on them. Boys, you go out and de-gnome that garden and no stalling."

'Yes, Mum," the children said. Lily took Sirius and Ariana to the makeshift playground Harry had built for them and started pushing them on the swings while James and Albus set to work de-gnoming the garden, much to James's disgust.

"I hate this," he complained. "I don't see why we have to do this. They're just going to come back and do it again."

Albus nodded and picked up three gnomes. He spun them around to make them dizzy and hurled them over the fence. James smiled and picked up five gnomes at once and disposed of them, giving his brother a challenging look. Al took up the challenge and picked up six gnomes. This turned into a contest to see who could throw the most gnomes over the fence. James won by a narrow margin, but Albus assured him that he'd beat his brother the next time.

James looked over at Lily, who was telling the twins a story. Smiling mischievously, he walked over to where she was sitting. Albus, sensing what James was up to, decided to come along in case James made Lily upset. Albus was very protective of his sister and had vowed that he would make sure no one messed with her at Hogwarts.

"So, Lily, have you thought about what House you might be in?" asked James in his most innocent tone of voice.

Lily looked up at her older brother. "No, I haven't," she said.

"Does it matter to you?" continued James.

"No, it doesn't," replied Lily. "I feel that it shouldn't matter what House I'm in. You're in Gryffindor while Al's in Slytherin, and you've done well in those Houses. I feel I'll do and well no matter which House I'm in. I don't want to be defined by idiotic stereotypes, such as being called evil if I'm in Slytherin, or being called slow if I'm in Hufflepuff. I want to be defined for who I am as a person, not for what I should be because I'm in a certain House." Her eyes were filled with determination, and James couldn't think of anything else to say to her.

Albus was proud of his sister for saying what she did. He had been afraid that he'd be put in Slytherin after hearing that Dark witches and wizards were in that House. His father had reassured him that not all Slytherins were Dark wizards and that the Sorting Hat took choices into consideration. Albus had then decided that since he was named for a brave man who had been head of Slytherin House, it didn't matter where he ended up. As it turned out, the Sorting Hat put him in Slytherin, and he had changed the image of that House to the amazement of others. There were still some Slytherins who were mean, but Al wouldn't give in to their pressure to bully other students and had even rescued students from said bullying.

"Children, come inside!" called Ginny. "The owls have arrived!"

Lily jumped up and ran into the house, eager to see her letter. James and Albus followed her with Albus leading the twins inside. Lily snatched up the letter that was addressed to her and opened it. "It's finally here," she said. "It's like a dream come true."

James and Albus took their letters and opened them to peruse the contents of them. It looked as though each of the letters contained the same things until James saw something fall out of his. He bent down to pick it up, but Sirius had snatched it and began chewing on it. James pried it out of his brother's hands, causing Sirius to howl until Ginny gave her youngest son a piece of cheese to nibble on. James wiped the object on a towel before examining it. The object was a badge with the Gryffindor lion and the letter P on it.

"What did you get, James?" inquired Ginny.

"It's some sort of badge," replied James. He had never paid attention to what the prefects wore and had no idea that's what the badge meant.

"You've been made a prefect," said Albus with pride in his voice.

James shook his head. "That can't be," he said. "There's no way anyone would make me prefect. I've been causing too much trouble. Obviously, someone's playing a prank on me."

'Well, I see you've got your Hogwarts letters," said Harry as he came back into the kitchen.

"James is a prefect," announced Lily.

"Congratulations," said Harry. "We'll have to get you something special for that. Is there anything you want?"

"Not really," James replied. "I've already got an owl and a broomstick."

"Well, we'll think of something," Ginny told him. "I'm sure Rose and Hugo also got their letters. I'm sure Ron will send us an owl so we can meet with them."

Just as she said this, Pigwidgeon came through the window carrying a letter for Harry. Harry took the letter from Pig and opened it to see what was in it.

_Dear Harry,_

_The kids got their letters from Hogwarts. I was wondering if you wanted to meet at the Leaky Cauldron so we can go to Diagon Alley to pick up their things. I've already gotten clearance from work so that I can be off, and I'm sure you can get clearance tonight when you go in. Send me an answer as soon as you can so I know what you're doing._

_Bye,_

_Ron_

"Well, I guess I'll have to ask Kingsley for the day off tomorrow if I'm not doing the night shift again," Harry said.

"Harry, I'm sure Kingsley will be reasonable," Ginny reassured him. "The only time you've asked for time off is when James and Al were starting at Hogwarts to pick up their things and to see them onto the train. Other than that, you've been to work every day."

"That's true," Harry agreed. Kingsley Shacklebolt was a better Minister of Magic than Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour had ever been. He was a lot fairer and always treated his employees with respect, never using intimidation to make them submit as the other two had done. He was also trying to make laws against discrimination of werewolves and house elves with some help from Hermione Weasley.

Lily heard none of this conversation as she read her letter over and over again. She still couldn't believe it was going to happen. She remembered James's descriptions of the Hogwarts grounds and Al's stories about visiting Hagrid's hut. She had also heard about the different classes she'd have to take and how hard or easy they'd be for her from her cousin Rose. Her father had told her how he loathed Potions because of Professor Snape and how Snape had not been kind to him. Then his feelings for Snape had changed once he learned of his love for Harry's mother and how Snape had been protecting Harry all along.

After lunch was over, Harry inspected the garden to make sure no gnomes were visible. Satisfied with the boys' work, he decided to play Quidditch with them since he didn't have to go to work until five. Ginny joined them while Lily and the twins watched with Snuffles laying beside Lily. Once the game was over, Harry and Ginny talked about their own days at Hogwarts and how they felt when they heard they'd be going there.

"I was so excited about going," Ginny told them. "Ever since your Uncle Bill went to Hogwarts, I had always longed to go. I was so jealous every time one of my brothers left to go to school. When my turn came, I could hardly believe it was true. Of course, I was also nervous about your father being there, too."

"Why?" asked Lily. "Didn't you like Dad?"

"Yes, but I didn't think he liked me," replied Ginny. "I was always so nervous around him and couldn't talk to him at all. Then your Aunt Hermione urged me to keep on trying and to loosen up. So, I did, and then I found out I loved him."

"Can we please change the subject?" begged James, wrinkling his nose.

"What's the matter, James?" teased Lily. "Scared of love?"

"No, but I don't want to hear about it," answered James. "It's so gross."

"That's funny because I heard rumors you were seen snogging Ellie Perkins," Albus said with a sly smile.

"That's a lie!" James shouted. "I never touched her lips. I was just helping her with her homework."

"Sure you were," Lily laughed.

"That's enough," Harry admonished. "Al, Lily, don't tease your brother."

"Sorry, Dad," Lily and Albus said meekly. But after their father had looked away, both of them exchanged conspiratorial looks as though they knew something their parents didn't.

That night, Lily lay in bed and thought about the things she would get in Diagon Alley the next day. Her father was able to go with them since he'd be working the night shift that day. Maybe he would help her pick out her supplies and her owl. She was also very excited about getting a wand, something she'd been longing for since James got his. Lily had a feeling things were going to be interesting when she started school. After all, nothing was ordinary in the Wizarding World because every day was full of surprises. Little did Lily know that her first year of school was going to be full of adventure.

A/N: So, that's the first chapter. I hope it wasn't bad. Feel free to leave a review once you've read it. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Preparation

A/N: Here's the second chapter. I can't believe how fast I thought of it. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. It's because of you that I'm continuing this story. Feel free to leave a review once you've finished reading. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Any characters from the Harry Potter universe that you recognize are property of J.K. Rowling. I own only the original characters.

Lily woke up in a state of excitement. She jumped out of bed and put on a pair of jeans and one of the sweaters Grandma Molly had given her for Christmas. As she made her way downstairs, she could smell the bacon, eggs, and sausages her mother was frying.

"Good morning, Lily," Harry said when he saw his daughter. "Excited?"

"Yes," Lily answered. "I can't believe I'm getting my stuff today. So, who's going to watch the twins?"

"Kreacher's going to come and watch them," Harry replied. "I figured that would be easier than dropping them off at the Burrow. This way, we can go straight to Diagon Alley and meet your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione at Gringotts."

"Sounds like a good idea to me, Harry," Ginny said. "You know Kreacher loves the twins. The last time we were at Grimmauld Place, he looked like he was going to cry when we had to leave."

"I don't trust him," James declared. "He'd be the type to drown them. He's got a weird look about him."

"James, that's enough!" Ginny admonished. "If Kreacher was like that, we wouldn't have left you in his care when you were small. As I recall, you loved him and didn't want to be parted from him."

"I wish Kreacher would live here," Lily said wistfully. "That way, he could take care of the twins all the time."

"He loves Grimmauld Place too much," Harry told her. "If he leaves it forever, he'll feel like he's abandoning his family. Besides, he's going to be working at Hogwarts with Winky, so you'll get to see him often."

"Why don't you want to live in Grimmauld Place, Dad?" Albus inquired.

"Because I still want it to be headquarters for the Order," Harry explained. "I know most of the Death Eaters aren't around anymore, but there are still a few who could threaten us. Not only that, but there are there are also children of Death Eaters who could decide to carry out their parents' evil legacy."

Lily tuned this conversation out and focused on the good breakfast. She knew she'd miss her mother's cooking the most, though Harry reassured her that Hogwarts food was very good. She nodded as she watched Sirius fling a piece of sausage at James, which resulted in James retaliating by throwing bacon at his little brother. Ariana, seeing her twin get hit, got angry and threw a handful of scrambled eggs, hitting Harry by mistake. This caused Harry to set off a bang with his wand, which restored silence to the table.

Sirius was happy he had caused a stir and tried to throw more food, despite the Shield Charm his father had cast. The result was that the food would bounce off objects. This behavior stopped after Harry removed Sirius from his chair and gave his bottom a few spanks. Sirius started to cry, which caused Ariana to cry as well.

Harry decided he had to put an end to the crying. "Kreacher!" he called, and the house-elf appeared instantly.

"Yes, Master Harry?" Kreacher said with a bow.

"I'd like for you to watch Sirius and Ariana while we take James, Albus, and Lily to get their Hogwarts things," said Harry politely. "Will you do it?"

Kreacher bowed again. "Kreacher would be delighted to watch the young Potter twins," he said with a smile.

At the sight of Kreacher, the twins stopped crying and tried to get out of their high chairs. The house-elf hurried over to them and lifted each of them out. Ginny handed him a wet rag, which he used to clean the twins up.

"We'll be back soon, Kreacher," Ginny told him. "We can't thank you enough for this."

"It is no problem, Mistress Ginny," replied Kreacher.

After saying goodbye to the twins, the five Potters traveled via Floo Powder to the Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the landlord, smiled and greeted them as they made their way out of the fireplace one by one. Then they made their way to the courtyard, and Harry opened the entrance to Diagon Alley with a few taps of his wand. Lily had been here before, but the vastness of the alley still amazed her. She shivered in anticipation as they made their way down the cobbled street. In no time at all, they reached Gringotts and spotted Ron, Hermione, Rose, and Hugo on the steps.

"Harry, it's so good to see you," said Hermione as she gave him a hug. "We didn't know if you were going to make it."

"I sent Pig back with my answer," replied Harry. "I'm sure you got it."

'Yeah, we got it, but sometimes things change," answered Ron. "I thought that maybe Kingsley and Quimby would need you." Peter Quimby was the head of the Auror Office.

"No, I have the night shift tonight," said Harry. "I'm covering for Lawson again since his wife hasn't gotten better."

"How terrible," said Hermione. "Has Lawson told you what happened?"

"He thinks it's a case of spattergroit, but he isn't quite sure," replied Harry. "She's been in St. Mungo's for a week now."

"Well, I hope she'll get better," said Hermione worriedly. "It's just too horrible to think about?"

"Yeah, it is," agreed Ron. "Shall we go to the vaults?"

After getting money from their vaults, the family made their way down the cobbled street, making observations as they passed. James and Albus saw a few friends and waved to them as they passed. Hugo wanted to go into Quality Quidditch Supplies to buy some Chudley Cannons robes.

"No, you're spending your money on necessities," said Hermione firmly. "Besides, you need money for the term as well."

Hugo didn't like the idea, but he knew better than to say so to his mother. The family wandered into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions where Lily and Hugo were fitted for robes. James also had to get fitted again since he was outgrowing his other robes. He sighed in exasperation as Madam Malkin adjusted his robes and pinned them to the right length.

"Don't fidget, dear!" said Madam Malkin sternly. "You need to stay still."

James really hated this, but he knew he'd have to endure it. Once the ordeal was over, he gave a sigh of relief. Then he spotted Scorpius Malfoy walking down the street with his parents. "Git," he muttered angrily.

Rose heard him and gave him a dirty look. "He's not a git," she said. "You just don't like him because his dad and your dad weren't friends."

"No, I don't like him because he's a stuck-up snob," James retorted. "He thinks he's better than everyone else."

"I don't think he's that bad," Albus declared. "When I talk to him, he's really nice."

"That's because he wants you to think he's nice," James told him. "I swear, Al, you're so naïve sometimes. It doesn't take a genius to see he's playing you for a fool."

"James, cool it," Harry chided him. "If Al and Rose want to be friends with Scorpius, they can. Just because Draco and I didn't get along, doesn't mean it's going to be the same thing between Scorpius and you kids. Just give him a chance."

Rose was very hurt by James's comments toward his brother. What would he say if he knew how Rose really felt about Scorpius? Would he be happy for her, or would he treat her with contempt? What if she and Scorpius ended up married? Would James welcome Scorpius into the family, or would he disown both of them? It just didn't seem right that James would be so prejudiced. Scorpius was so nice and very different from his father. He even helped Albus to change the image of Slytherin House from pure evil to nice people for the most part. Even though Scorpius didn't know about Rose's true feelings for him, she hoped that he would return those feelings someday.

After going to Madam Malkin's, they headed to the Apothecary, Flourish and Blotts, and Eeylops Owl Emporium. Their last stop was Ollivander's wand shop where Lily and Hugo would buy their wands. Once again, Lily felt a rush of excitement as she entered the shop.

"Ah, yes, I knew I was going to see you two," Mr. Ollivander said to them. "Lily you look just like your mother. Hugo, you have your father's strong build. Now, let's see if we can fit you with some wands. Miss Potter, you will go first." He measured her properly and then hurried back to look for a wand. "Here, Miss Potter, try this one. Yew and unicorn hair."

Lily waved the wand, but nothing happened. Thinking that she hadn't waved it hard enough, she tried it again with no results. It appeared that this wand wasn't for her.

"No matter, Miss Potter," Mr. Ollivander said. "We'll find one for you. Here's one that's beech and dragon heartstring."

Lily again tried this wand, but she got no response. Mr. Ollivander gave her a wand that was made of willow and had a phoenix feather core. As she picked up the wand, she felt a warmth in her fingers, and when she waved it sparks flew out of it. Everyone cheered and whistled for her.

"I knew you could do it," Rose whispered to her.

Hugo got a wand of hawthorn and dragon heartstring, which suited him well. After the wands were paid for, the family stopped at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, which was being run by his daughter Danielle Fortescue. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny told funny stories about their years at Hogwarts. As she heard her father talk about the tasks he had to do in the Triwizard Tournament, Lily felt a sense of excitement. She really hoped something like that would happen when she went to Hogwarts this year. From what everyone was saying, Hogwarts was the place for exciting adventures.

The weeks seemed to fly by, and soon it was August thirty-first. The Weasleys and Potters had a celebration dinner at the Burrow for Lily, Hugo, and James. Harry and Ginny gave James a watch with the Chudley Cannons logo on it. Grandma Molly gave them each a cake, congratulating them on starting school and becoming prefect. Lily was so happy that she had such a wonderful family.

That night, Lily looked at her books to see what they contained. She could tell that her classes were going to be very interesting, and she hoped they wouldn't be too hard. She looked over at her very own owl with a smile. Lily had decided to name her Minerva because she thought it was a lovely name.

As Lily got ready for bed, she thought about how her father used to feel the night before going to Hogwarts. She knew that her father had always counted down the days to Hogwarts on a calendar at the Dursleys, and she knew why. He loved the castle and often felt like it was his true home. Lily wasn't sure if Hogwarts would ever feel like home to her, but she knew that she was going to a great school. She drifted off to sleep with images of Hagrid's cabin and the lake dancing in her head.

A/N: Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to end it, but it was the best I could do. Please feel free to leave me some feedback once you've finished reading. Thanks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: New Friends

A/N: Well, here's the third chapter. Please feel free to leave me some feedback. I'd love to hear from you about whether you like the story or not. Don't be shy. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize in this story are property of J.K Rowling. I own any characters you don't know.

The first thing Lily heard when she woke up was her mother coming upstairs to wake them up. Lily knew that James would be the hardest to wake up since he liked to sleep in. Sure enough, Ginny was insisting that James wake up, or she would take away his broom. After James assured her he was up, she moved on to Albus, who got up as soon as she poked her head in the door.

Lily got out of bed just before her mother knocked on her door. "I'm up, Mum!" she called to her.

"All right, dear!" Ginny called back. "Hurry downstairs when you get ready! I want us to be there early."

After Lily got ready, she went downstairs to eat a quick breakfast of toast and bacon. Her brothers and the twins were also eating breakfast at a fast pace. Once Lily was done eating, she went back upstairs to make sure she had everything she needed then came back down with her trunk and Minerva's cage so she'd be ready to go.

"Well, Lily, today's your first day of school," Harry told her, giving her a squeeze. "Are you nervous?"

"Just a bit," Lily replied. "Were you nervous on your first day, Dad?"

"Yeah, I was," Harry answered. "I didn't know what to expect when I got there. I was nervous about the Sorting because I didn't want to end up in Slytherin because of its reputation for turning out Dark witches and wizards. It was the House Voldemort had been in, and I didn't want to be associated with him."

"I can understand that," Lily replied. "He was your enemy, and you didn't want to be like he was. I'd feel the same way if it was me."

"Well, the good thing is that you don't have to worry about any of that," Harry said. "You'll have a very peaceful year with no threat of attack."

"Now, Dad, I don't want my year to be completely dull," Lily laughed. "I'd like at least a little excitement like you had."

Harry chuckled at her remark. "I wouldn't call Voldemort trying to kill me exciting," he said. "It was frightening more than anything."

"Dad, I didn't mean it like that," Lily said. "I just meant that I want some sort of adventure, not someone trying to kill me. Although the way James talks, he probably thinks Scorpius Malfoy would kill me. Was his father like that, Dad?"

"No, he didn't want to kill me," Harry replied. "He was just jealous I didn't join his little gang and became friends with your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. He couldn't even kill Dumbledore when he was ordered to, so I doubt he would've killed me. He was put under pressure by his father and Voldemort."

"Rose and Al like Scorpius," Lily reminded him. "If he was a mean person, I know Rose and Albus wouldn't be friends wit him. I'm going to give him a chance and see what he's like."

"That's a good idea, Lily," Harry told her. "No sense in being enemies when you can be friends."

They arrived at King's Cross Station in plenty of time, but Ron, Hermione, Rose, and Hugo weren't there yet. Lily wasn't nervous about getting into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters because she had done so twice. She smiled as she saw the Hogwarts Express getting ready to head off. She looked around and soon spotted her Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and cousins Rose and Hugo.

"Hey, Lily," Rose said, giving her a hug. "I can't believe you're starting this year."

Lily pretended to look offended by her remark. "Did you think I wasn't good enough to come?" she teased.

Rose laughed. "No, of course not," she replied. "I just can't believe it's come so soon."

"Hi, Lily," Hugo said. "Are you nervous?"

"Just a bit," Lily told him. "You?"

"Yeah, I am," Hugo replied. "I'm nervous about what House I'll be put in. I don't want to be in Slytherin."

"Hugo, don't worry," Lily soothed. "If you are put in Slytherin you won't be alone. Al's there, too."

"Yeah, I forgot about that," Hugo replied. "Maybe it won't be so bad after all."

Hermione came and hugged her son and daughter. "Have a good term, you two," she said. 'And you have a good term, too, Lily."

"I will, Aunt Hermione," Lily promised.

Ron also said goodbye to them. "And don't forget, Hugo, you better be in Gryffindor," he said with a serious face. Hugo looked alarmed until Ron said, "Just joking, son. It doesn't matter to me where you end up."

"Ron, don't tease him like that!" chastised Hermione.

"It's all right, Mum," said Hugo. "I know he's just kidding."

After hugging Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, Lily turned so she could hug her parents. Ginny promised to write her every day, but Lily said that once a week would be enough. She then turned to her father who had a look of both pride and sadness on his face.

"I'll see you at Christmas, Dad," she said giving him a big hug. It was hard because he was holding Sirius, but she managed it and also gave Sirius and Ariana, who was being held by Ginny, kisses and hugs.

"Have a good term, sweetheart," said Harry. "Don't forget that Hagrid will be having you for tea on Friday."

"Choo choo," said Sirius, pointing at the Hogwarts Express.

"Yes, Sirius, that's a train," said Lily. "When you turn eleven you'll be going on it, too."

Sirius giggled and grabbed some of Lily's hair until Harry admonished him to let go. It was as if he didn't want to part from his big sister.

Ariana also made her feelings known. "Lili, no go!" she cried.

Lily came over to her little sister. "Don't cry, Ari," she soothed. "I'll be back before you know it, and I'll write often."

Ariana didn't understand and continued to cry. Lily didn't want to leave her sister in such distress, but she had to. After one last kiss, Lily boarded the train with her brothers and cousins. As it headed out of the station, she leaned out of the window and waved to her family. All of them waved back until the train disappeared around the corner.

Rose and Albus went to sit with friends while James went to the prefects' carriage to get his instructions. Lily and Hugo went to find themselves a compartment. As Lily studied her cousin, she could tell he was still nervous about the Sorting. She tried to talk of other matters such as the feast and what classes they'd be taking. This cheered Hugo up, and he joined her in talking about what classes he was looking forward to.

Not long after this, two other students came by their compartment, looking for a place to sit. One was a sandy-haired boy, and the other was a dark-haired girl. Both looked uneasy when they realized they had interrupted a conversation.

"May we sit with you?" the girl asked them politely.

"Sure," Lily replied. "We don't mind."

The girl smiled as she and the boy took seats across from Lily and Hugo. Both appeared to be first years since they had an air of uncertainty as though they didn't know what to expect.

The boy spoke up. "I'm Kenneth Finnigan," he said. "Me dad used to go here. He said it's the best school there is."

"My dad said that, too," Lily told him. "I'm Lily Potter, and this is my cousin, Hugo Weasley."

Kenneth brightened. "Me dad was friends with your dad," he said. "He always talks about how brave Harry Potter was when he flattened Voldemort."

"My dad helped, too," Hugo insisted. He didn't want anyone to think that his dad wasn't as brave as his Uncle Harry.

"Yeah, he was brave, too," Kenneth said. "I heard he stuck with Harry the whole way. That took a lot of guts."

Hugo felt better after Kenneth said that and got into a conversation about Quidditch with him. This gave Lily a chance to get to know the dark-haired girl.

"What's your name?" she asked kindly.

"Miranda Newman," the girl replied. "I have two younger siblings named Teresa and Luis. Teresa's nine, and Luis is seven. How many siblings do you have?"

"Four," Lily answered. "James is in his fifth year, and Albus is in his third. I also have a twin brother and sister named Sirius and Ariana who are two. Hugo's sister Rose is in her third year as well."

"That's nice," Miranda said. "I really can't believe I'm going. It seems weird since my parents are Muggles. My father's a magistrate, and my mother's a librarian. What do your parents do?"

"My dad's head of the Auror Office," Lily replied. "That means he catches Dark wizards who do bad things. My mum works at the Daily Prophet as a sports columnist. That's our newspaper here. She writes about all the Quidditch teams, which is a sport in our world. I'll tell you about it later. Hugo's dad is also an Auror and Aunt Hermione works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Interesting," Miranda said, giving both Lily and Hugo admiring looks. "So have you thought about what House you'll be in?"

Lily shook her head. "No, and it really doesn't matter," she said.

"I feel the same way you do," Miranda told her.

"Well, I hope I'm in Gryffindor," Kenneth said. "Me dad was in it, and he said it was a great House. I'd hate to be in Slytherin. That House has nothing but evil little gits in it."

"That's not true!" Lily snapped. "My brother's in Slytherin, and he's not evil at all."

Kenneth was taken aback by this piece of news. "Oh, sorry," he muttered. "I didn't know that. I'm sure your brother is nice."

In no time at all, the train stopped at Hogsmeade Station. The students put on their robes and filed out of the train. They were greeted by a voice saying, "Firs' years, this way. Firs' years, over here to me!" The voice belonged to Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and professor of Care of Magical Creatures. He smiled at Lily and Hugo as they came up to him.

"All righ', you two?" he asked them.

"We're fine, Hagrid," they said. He had visited their homes at least twice early in the summer.

They went down to the fleet of boats that would take them across the lake. Lily, Kenneth, Miranda, and Hugo got into a boat. As it glided across the lake, the four of them kept exclaiming how neat everything looked. Hogwarts Castle soon came into view, its windows twinkling with welcoming lights. As the boats touched land, everyone climbed out and followed Hagrid up to the oak front doors. Hagrid knocked loudly and waited for someone to open it.

When the door opened, the students saw a witch with light brown hair tied in a bun. "Yes?" she said.

"I've brought the first years, Professor Ellington," Hagrid said. Diana Ellington had taken over Transfiguration since Professor McGonagall was now Headmistress of Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Hagrid," Professor Ellington said. "I'll take them from here." Hagrid nodded and headed back into the Great Hal to make his way to the staff table.

Professor Ellington turned to the students. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "Before you take your seats, you must be Sorted into your Houses. The four Houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. While you are in your House, any satisfactory work you do will earn your House points, while any unsatisfactory work will make you lose House points. At the end of the year, the House Cup is awarded to the House with the most points. I do hope that when you are chosen for a House that you will represent that House with dignity. I must go and see if they are ready for you. Wait here." Then she turned and headed into the Great Hall.

While the students waited for her to return, they speculated on what the Sorting would be. One boy said that they'd have to fight some fierce monster, while a girl said that they'd have to do an obstacle course and get chosen that way. Lily rolled her eyes because she knew exactly what was coming and informed the others about the hat. Professor Ellington came back and told them that the Sorting Ceremony would begin now.

As Lily walked into the Great Hall, she couldn't stop looking around her. She was especially impressed with the enchanted ceiling that reflected the sky outside. It was packed with stars and looked so beautiful. Then she noticed that students were looking at her. James and Rose waved to her from the Gryffindor table while Albus waved from the Slytherin table. Next to Al sat a pale boy with blond hair, and Lily guessed that this was Scorpius Malfoy. Despite the fact that she really didn't care where the Hat placed her, she couldn't help feeling a bit nervous.

She gazed up at the staff table and looked at the teachers. Hagrid waved to her from his place, and she smiled at him. She also saw Professor Longbottom giving her a smile of encouragement which made her feel better. At least she'd have two adults she'd be familiar with. In the middle sat Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, but when Lily saw the person to Professor McGonagall's left, she gasped. What was her father doing here? Before she could ponder this, the brim of the Sorting Hat opened, and it began to sing a song about the qualities of the four Houses in which they'd be Sorted and how the Hat had the task of choosing which House they'd be in. It also ended with a command to stand united and then fell still. Professor Ellington then got to her feet and spoke.

"When I call your name, you will come forward, the Sorting Hat will be placed on your head, and you will be Sorted into your House," she said. "Avery, Thomas."

A boy with blond hair and a heavy build came up to where the Sorting Hat was placed and sat on the stool. The Hat was placed on his head, and there was silence. Then the Hat's brim opened and he shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Thomas Avery looked disappointed, and he grudgingly went to the Gryffindor table.

Lily watched as one by one all of the first years got Sorted. Kenneth Finnigan and Miranda Newman both ended up in Gryffindor, which made Lily want to be a Gryffindor, too. She had just met those two, but she really liked them and wanted to be in the same House as them.

"Potter, Lily!" called Professor Ellington.

Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm her nerves. Then she headed to the stool and sat down. As the hat was placed on her head, a voice spoke into her ear that no one else in the Hall could hear. This made Lily feel a little uncomfortable.

"Hmmm…another Potter," said the Hat. "You seem to have a lot of intelligence as well as a bit of bravery in you. This is quite difficult. Where shall I put you?"

"I'd like to go to Gryffindor," whispered Lily so only the Hat could hear. "Please, let me be in Gryffindor."

"Are you sure?" asked the Hat. "I think Ravenclaw would be better suited for you. You'd do very well in there. What do you say?"

Lily remembered her father telling her that the Hat sometimes took a person's choice into consideration, and this made her choose her final decision. "No, I want to be in Gryffindor," she told the Hat.

"Bit of a stubborn one, you are," said the Hat. "That's a quality worthy of a Slytherin if you want to go there." Then the Hat sighed as Lily continued with her request. "Well, if you want to be stubborn about it…GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily smiled as the whole Hall cheered for her. She looked in her father's direction and saw that he was beaming proudly. She went to the Gryffindor table and got hugged by Rose. She saw Albus cheering for her while James gave her a friendly smile, though she thought he was teasing her.

"James, why is Dad here?" asked Lily.

James shrugged. "No idea," he said. "He's probably here to protect his little girl. You know how he is about you."

"She's got us for that," said Rose. "I think he's going to be teaching."

"But why would he do that?" inquired Lily. "He's already got a job as an Auror."

"Don't worry, sweet thing," said a boy on James's right. "You're safe with me."

"Watch it, Stubby, that's my sister," warned James.

The boy immediately looked guilty. "Oh, sorry, James," he said. "I was just having a laugh."

"Sure you were," James replied. "Lily meet my best mates Phillip Stubbs, Sean Reilly, and Robert Jordan. Guys, meet Lily Potter, my sister."

"Nice to meet you," said Lily, and the boys said the same. She introduced Kenneth and Miranda, but had to be quiet because Hugo was being Sorted. Lily kept her fingers crossed until the Hat declared him a Gryffindor.

After the Sorting was done, Professor McGonagall got to her feet. "To our new students, I'd like to welcome you to Hogwarts," she said. "To our returning students, I welcome you back. I have notices to give, but they can wait until after the feast. Let the feast begin!"

Lily watched as the plates filled with food. As she ate, she listened to James and his friends recounting their adventures at Hogwarts. She was shocked at some of the pranks her brother played on other students. Rose's eyes darkened in anger when James talked about a prank he'd played on Scorpius Malfoy last year. Lily suspected that Rose liked Scorpius and decided to ask her about it the next day because she was too tired to think about it now.

Once dessert was finished, Professor McGonagall got up to speak. "I have a few notices to give out," she said. "First years must note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to them, and some of our older students should remember that as well." Her eyes rested on James and his friends. "Anyone wishing to sign up for their House Quidditch team should talk to their Head of House.

"Mr, Filch, our caretaker, has warned me that any items bought at Weasley Wizard Wheezes are banned from the school. There is a list on Mr. Flich's door where students can look to see if they have any of these items.

"And now, I'd like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mr. Harry Potter. He has kindly consented to fill the post since we weren't able to get anyone else."

"There you are, Lily," said James. "Dad's our new teacher. I wonder if he'll let me skip a lesson or two."

"I doubt it," said Lily. "He'll probably put you in detention if you mess with him."

Harry got up and nodded at the applause he was receiving then sat back down so that Professor McGonagall could finish her announcements.

"Now, I suggest you all go to your dormitories and get some rest," she said. "You have class in the morning. Off to bed!"

"First yeas, follow me," ordered James as he led them to Gryffindor Tower. Lily was excited as she and Miranda remarked about the portraits that were winking at them. Soon they stopped at the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked.

"Bravery," answered James.

She swung forward, and the students entered the Common Room. James directed them to their dormitories and left. Lily, Miranda, and Rose said goodbye to the boys and went to their own rooms. Rose parted with them to go to the third year room, while Lily and Miranda went to the first year room.

"This is so amazing!" exclaimed Miranda. "I can't believe I'm here! Is your dad a good teacher?"

"Yeah, he is," Lily replied. "He taught quite a few students in his fifth year, and it went well. I'm glad he's here. Well, I'd better write a letter to Mum telling her all about my first day."

"All right," Miranda said. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Same here," Lily said. Then she sat down and wrote a letter to her mother.

_Dear Mum,_

_Well, I'm here and I couldn't be happier. I've been Sorted into Gryffindor which makes me very happy. I've made two new friends named Kenneth Finnigan and Miranda Newman. Ken's dad went to school here, and Miranda's parents are Muggles. Both of these kids are very nice. I think I can become friends with Scorpius Malfoy too. I know Dad wants me to give him a chance, though I know James hasn't. He's played some horrible pranks on Scorpius. I'll have to tell Dad if he does it this year. _

_Speaking of Dad, he's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It's neat that he wanted to surprise us, but I wish he would've told us. I think everyone will like him. Well, I have to go now. Give everyone my love and let Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione know that Hugo's in Gryffindor, too. They'll be proud of him just like I am. I'll write to you again soon. _

_All my love,_

_Lily_

She sealed the letter and gave it to Minerva. The owl hooted and then flew off. Then Lily got into bed and fell asleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

22222222

"Harry, do you really think this is wise?" asked Professor McGonagall. She was sitting in her office with him. "Perhaps we should tell the students what's going on."

"No, I don't want to frighten them," replied Harry. "I took this job to protect them, and that's what I'm going to do" Kingsley had asked him to stay at Hogwarts because of the Death Eater breakout from Azkaban.

"But they're going to know about it, anyway," said Professor McGonagall. "Some of the Death Eaters' grandchildren are in this school, and I'm sure they'll brag about the breakout."

"Yes, they might," said Harry. "However, I'm here to make sure they don't hurt my children." His green eyes flashed with determination.

"You're right, Harry," said Professor McGonagall. "I just hope your wife will be safe with the little ones. We can always bring her here. She might be safer."

"No, that would cause too much suspicion," pointed out Harry. "She's safe at her mum's for now. She can come here if it gets worse, or if we know they're close to her. I don't want the kids getting upset, especially Lily. I want her first year to be calm, not filled with unwanted stress."

"Oh, we wouldn't want that," said a sarcastic voice. Harry turned to see the portrait of Severus Snape, his old Potions master, glowering at him. "It's much better to leave them in ignorance until Hogwarts is attacked. Then they won't be prepared, and more innocent lives will be lost. What a lovely plan, Potter."

"Now, Severus, I'm sure Harry has only good intentions," said Albus Dumbledore's portrait, giving Harry a kind look. "He only wishes to protect his children, just as you wanted to protect Harry."

"Yes, I suppose so," said Snape drily. "However, his son is just as much of a bully as his grandfather was. But surely you know that, Potter?"

"Yes, I'm aware that he has a tendency to bully," replied Harry. "I assure you that if I catch him bullying other students he will be punished."

"I believe you, Harry," Professor McGonagall told him, giving Snape a reproving glare. "Now, you'd better hurry off to bed. You have a class to teach tomorrow."

"All right," Harry said. "Goodnight, Minerva. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Harry," Professor McGonagall replied. "Have a good sleep."

He left the office and went to his sleeping quarters. It was very different from the Gryffindor Common Room, but he knew it would be a good place to feel comfortable. Harry was determined to protect his children from the horrors of his past. They weren't going to grow up in a world like he had. As long as he was alive, no one would go after his flesh and blood, or their cousins. With that last thought in his head, Harry fell asleep to wait for tomorrow.

A/N: Wow! I can't believe this is eleven pages long! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and this story. Please leave some feedback after you've finished reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Encounter

A/N: Sorry I've been absent from this story. I hit a wall of writer's block for a long time, but now I'm back and ready to continue it. I hope that you enjoy what I'm about to put up here. I promise that I won't leave you hanging for a long time like this again as I have at least two other chapters finished. Hopefully, my updates will be more frequent than they've been before.

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are property of J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters you don't recognize from the books.

The next morning, Lily woke up feeling very excited. Today was the first day of classes. She got out of bed and changed into her robes. Then she headed to the Great Hall with Rose and Miranda. They spotted Hugo and Kenneth talking about Quidditch and sat down next to them.

"Excited about your first day?" asked Rose.

"You bet," answered Hugo. "I can't wait to learn loads of new stuff."

"Me dad told me that some of the classes are hard," said Kenneth. "I think History of Magic will be the dullest. Dad says Professor Binns is very boring, and he could never stay awake in class."

"Professor Binns is a good teacher," replied Rose. "I think the lessons are very interesting. You just need to pay attention, and you'll do fine."

"It may be hard to pay attention when all he does is drone on," retorted Kenneth.

"Dad told me that he and Uncle Ron always copied from Aunt Hermione," giggled Lily.

Hugo brightened. "Brilliant," he said. "Rose, would you be a dear sister and let me copy off you?"

Rose gave him an angry look. "No, I won't," she replied. "If I do that, you won't learn. Plus, I'm in third year in case you've forgotten, so my work is different than yours."

"Ah, but you still have your notes from first year," pointed out Hugo. "I saw them in your room. I could always send Dad an owl requesting some help."

"Hugo Ronald Weasley, you will do no such thing!" snapped Rose. Her brown eyes flashed in anger.

"Calm down, Rosie, I was just joking," said Hugo. "I wouldn't do that."

"No worries, mate," said Kenneth. "All we have to do is find the smartest girl in our year and copy off her."

"Good luck with that," said Rose slyly.

Suddenly, the Great Hall was filled with owls delivering mail to their owners. Minerva came down with a package and letter for Lily. Lily thanked the owl and gave her a piece of bacon to eat. Minerva hooted in thanks and nibbled Lily's finger in an affectionate way before flying off to the owlery. Lily opened the letter and saw it was from her mother.

Dear Lily,

Congratulations into being sorted into Gryffindor. I'm so proud of you. I'm glad you're making friends as well. I'd like to know a bit more about them, so could you send me a letter soon?

Everything's well here. Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and Grandma and Grandpa send their love and best wishes. Sirius and Ariana miss you a lot. They keep asking for you, and I have to tell them that you're not here right now but at school. It's so heartbreaking to hear them cry, but they'll get over it soon.

Your father wanted to tell you about teaching at Hogwarts, but I told him it would be better if it was kept a secret. I didn't want you to be nervous about being there or that it was because we were trying to keep an eye on you. The truth is that Professor McGonagall couldn't find a teacher willing to teach Defense Against The Dark Arts and decided your father would be good for the job. After talking to Kingsley, your father took the position.

Have a good first day, and send me an owl if you aren't too busy with homework. I'd love to hear about your first day.

Lots of love,

Mum

Lily smiled as she read the letter and decided to send an owl that night if she wasn't bombarded with homework. She opened the package and saw a box of Chocolate Frogs along with a note stating that she couldn't eat them during class. She hurried upstairs to put them in her trunk then gathered the books she'd need for that day. She looked at the schedule Professor Ellington had given her and saw that she had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.

"This first class should be fairly easy, eh, Lily?" Hugo asked.

"Just because we know Neville doesn't mean he'll go easy on us," replied Lily. "That's like saying Dad will go easy on us because we're related to him."

"You know Professor Longbottom?" Miranda inquired.

"He's Dad's good friend," Lily answered. "He's a great teacher, and he's very knowledgeable at Herbology. It was his best subject at Hogwarts."

Neville smiled as he saw Lily and Hugo enter the room. "Hello, Hugo, Lily," he said. "How's your first day so far?"

"Well, this class is our first class, Professor," replied Lily.

"Oh, I see," said Neville. "At least you'll be starting out with a fun subject." Then he took roll and then proceeded with the lesson.

Lily was amazed at how much Neville knew and how he enjoyed teaching the class. She listened to his lecture about recognizing different plants. She noticed that his voice took on a note of pride as he talked, almost as though the plants were his children. She copied down his words so she wouldn't forget was he was saying. Hugo was doing the same as were Miranda and Kenneth. When Neville asked who could recognize a certain plant, Miranda answered immediately.

Kenneth nudged Hugo. "Now we know who the smartest girl in the class is," he whispered. Hugo nodded and looked at Miranda with a knowing look on his face. Miranda ignored him and continued to listen to Neville's lecture.

Next was Transfiguration, which was a bit tough. Professor Ellington was a strict teacher and warned them not to mess around in her class. She taught them how to turn a match into a needle as she felt this would be fairly basic. Lily did it after two attempts while Miranda did it in one attempt. Hugo and Kenneth had the hardest time and had no luck in doing the task. Professor Ellington told them they would have to practice it for homework and perform it again in the next class.

"Miserable old bat," muttered Kenneth as they filed out of class.

"That's not very nice," chastised Lily. "She's only trying to help you."

"By giving us homework?" complained Hugo. "Yeah, right."

"Well, you do need to perfect it," said Miranda. "With practice, it'll come."

"Well, maybe you can help us practice," said Kenneth slyly.

"We'll help, but we won't be doing the work for you," Lily replied.

"Aw, too bad," Hugo said with a smile. "Some cousin you are."

They all laughed and headed down to the dungeons to study Potions with Professor Slughorn. Slughorn was a jovial professor and sometimes played favorites among his students, though not as badly as Snape had and treated his students fairly despite this. After taking roll, he taught them how to make a Forgetfulness Potion. He walked among the class to make sure they all knew what they were doing and gently corrected those who were doing it wrong. As he approached Lily, he was astonished to see how well she was doing.

"Well done, Miss Potter," he said. "I daresay you've inherited your father's and grandmother's talent for Potions."

Lily blushed at his compliment. "Oh, I just followed the directions on the board, sir," she said.

"That you did," he replied. "Nicely done. And good work as well, Miss Newman. Mr. Potter and Mr. Finnigan, yours are a bit runny. Try to remedy that."

Kenneth scowled and set about fixing his potion. Hugo wasn't as angry, but he was a bit let down and set about fixing his mistake. Kenneth didn't think it was fair that Lily and Miranda did well while he and Hugo didn't. He fixed his potion and put a sample on Slughorn's desk.

"Don't worry, Ken and Hugo. I'm sure you'll get it right next time," soothed Miranda.

"Yeah, I guess," Kenneth replied. "It still stinks though. I wish I was as good as you two."

"You are good," said Lily. "You just had an off day."

"Hey, Ken, want to hang out for a bit?" Hugo asked him.

"Sure," Kenneth replied. "You girls don't mind, do you?"

"No, but we have to go to History of Magic," Miranda reminded him. "You better not be late."

"We won't," Hugo assured her. "I just want to talk to Ken real quick. We'll catch up."

"Alright," Lily said. "See you in a bit." She and Miranda set off to the common room to get their books.

"So, what was it like for your dad to be famous?" Miranda asked Lily.

"Well, at first he was confused about it," Lily replied. "He didn't know how he defeated Voldemort, and he couldn't understand why everyone thought he was so great. Once he learned more, I think he was scared because of what he had to do once Voldemort returned. But I think he was pretty humble about it. He didn't ask for any special treatment or favors. He just wanted to be normal."

"I can understand that," Miranda said. "He didn't want to be famous for surviving an attack while his parents died. I just couldn't imagine having to go through that."

"Me neither," Lily agreed. "We'd better hurry or we'll be late. Let's take this shortcut. It'll be faster."

"How do you know that?" Miranda questioned.

"Al told me about it," Lily answered.

The shortcut was faster, but before they could get to the staircase that would lead them to the classroom, three boys came from around the corner and barred their way. All of them were wearing the colors of Slytherin and looked to be in their fifth year.

"Excuse us, we need to get through," said Lily politely.

The boys didn't answer her and just stared. They had mean looks on their faces as though they didn't like what they saw. Lily never thought she'd have to deal with people like this.

"Pardon us, but we need to go to class," said Miranda.

"Silence, you filthy Mudblood!" snarled the first boy named Thomas Rookwood.

"Don't call her that!" snapped Lily. She took out her wand, hoping it would frighten the boys off, but they didn't seem scared at all. They laughed at her.

"Look, the blood traitor's trying to threaten us," laughed the second boy whose name was Lawrence Macnair.

"Well, I think we should teach them not to cross their superiors," chipped in the third boy whose name was Cameron Dolohov.

"Good idea," replied Rookwood. "Expelliarmus!" Lily's wand shot into the air and landed far from her reach. Miranda pulled out her wand, but she was disarmed as well.

"Why are you doing this?" Miranda demanded.

"I told you to hold your tongue!" snapped Rookwood. "As for why we're doing this, we don't like the fact that blood traitors and Mudbloods still come to this school. Such trash shouldn't be allowed here."

"We are here to continue what our grandparents started," Macnair continued.

"But, unfortunately, you can't," retorted Lily. "You have no master to answer to."

"We don't need one," said Rookwood. "We can carry out the work on our own until a new master decides to show himself. If that doesn't happen, we will gather those who share our views and form our own group."

As Rookwood was talking, Lily tried to go for her wand, but Dolohov spotted her and shouted, "Oh, no you don't! Petrificus Totalus!"

"Nice one, Cam," said Rookwood. Then he proceeded to give Miranda the Full Body Bind as well.

"Now, what should we do with them?" asked Macnair.

"Let's give them a lesson they'll never forget," said Rookwood. He pointed his wand at Lily and said, "Crucio!"

Lily screamed as the pain hit her. She had never felt anything like this in her life. Miranda was also screaming as Dolohov pointed his wand at her. Lily was terrified and wished she knew how to do wandless magic. Why wasn't anyone coming to help them?

Suddenly, two voices shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and the two wands flew out of the boys' hands, stopping the Cruciatus Curse. But even though it was lifted, the girls were still in pain. They slowly raised their heads and saw Albus and Scorpius pointing their wands at the three boys.

"Stay out of this, you two!" Rookwood snarled.

"You stay away from my sister!" shouted Albus. Lily had never seen him this angry before.

Before Rookwood could retort, footsteps came hurrying around the corner as Argus Filch arrived on the scene. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"These three attacked my sister and her friend," Albus replied.

Filch looked at the two girls who had raise themselves off the floor and were leaning against the wall for support. "Is this true?" he asked them.

Lily nodded. "Yes," she replied. "We were trying to go to class when these boys cornered us and attacked us."

They performed the Cruciatus Curse on us," Miranda added.

"That's not true!" Macnair snarled. "They attacked us!"

"Enough!" Filch yelled. "We're going to the Headmistress's office to sort this out." He picked up all the wands and led all of them to McGonagall's office. He gave the password ("Albus") and watched as the stone gargoyle sprang aside. They all stepped onto the moving staircase that led them to the Headmistress's office.

Professor McGonagall looked up from her desk as they all came into her office. "Mr. Filch, what is going on?" she asked.

Filch told her what he saw and what Lily and Miranda had told him about the Slytherin boys. She ordered Filch to leave and asked Lily and Miranda to recount what had happened. One they did, she looked at the Slytherins and asked them for their account of what happened. Then she took Rookwood's and Dolohov's wands and forced them to regurgitate the spells they last performed. She looked sternly at the three culprits.

"I cannot believe that such a thing has happened in my school," she began. "Such things cannot happen again. Mr. Rookwood and Mr. Dolohov, you are hereby suspended from school for sixty days and will have a hearing at the Ministry for using an Unforgivable Curse. Normally, the wizard who performs such a spell spends a life sentence in Azkaban, but since you aren't of age, you are being suspended and will receive punishment after the trial. Mr. Macnair, you will be suspended for thirty days for being an accomplice, and fifty points will be taken from each student who attacked Miss Potter and Miss Newman.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, ten points will be taken from Slytherin for using magic in the corridors. However, I do commend you for saving Miss Potter and Miss Newman from further injury. Miss Potter and Miss Newman should go to the hospital wing to get treated. Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, you may accompany them. I will come by the hospital wing later to check on you. I am going to write to the families of these three boys and let them know what is going on. You three boys may return to your common room for now until your parents arrive to collect you. You are dismissed."

The three boys shot dirty looks at Albus, Scorpius, Lily, and Miranda as they left the office. Rookwood whispered, "This isn't over" so only they could hear it.

"Well, you had a bit of an adventure, Lil," Albus said as he helped her to the hospital wing.

"Some adventure," Lily replied, wincing in pain as she leaned on her brother for support.

"Thanks for saving us," Miranda said to Scorpius.

"No problem," Scorpius replied. "Those three are a bad bunch. They hate the fact that Al and I won't join their little group."

"Yeah, they're trying to recruit people or their cause," Albus continued. "They want to finish where the first round of Death Eaters left off."

"But the thing is, not many have joined them," Scorpius added. "They just don't buy into their talk."

Lily was surprised Scorpius was taking this view because his own father had been a part of the Deaht Eaters during the Second War. She wanted to ask him about that, but felt it would be too rude. After all, Scorpuis was different from his father and had different views about people.

Madam Pomfrey hurried toward them when they entered the hospital wing. She sent Lily and Miranda to a pair of beds and settled them in while Albus and Scorpius told them what happened. Once they were done, she gave Lily and Miranda a potion to help with the pain they were still feeling.

Soon after, Harry, James, Rose, Hugo, and Kenneth entered to see the girls. All of them were worried, but Madam Pomfrey assured them that the girls would recover.

"I hope those gits get expelled," James declared.

"That'll be up to the Ministry," Harry replied. "I'm just glad that the girls are going to be okay." He turned to Al and Scorpius. "Boys, I can't thank you enough for saving the girls. You were both very brave."

"Thanks, Dad," Al said.

"Yeah, thanks, Professor," added Scorpius. "It was the least we could do."

Before anything else could be said, Professor McGonagall hurried into the hospital wing. "Potter, this letter has arrived for you," she said, handing it to him.

Harry took the letter, wondering who could have written to him. He opened it and read the contents.

Potter,

We need to talk after what just happened at Hogwarts. McGonagall informed me that there was an attack there. Meet me in the Three Broomsticks at noon tomorrow. There are things I need to tell you.

Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

Harry was a bit shocked. Why did Malfoy want to meet with him? Was it a trap, or did Malfoy have crucial information he needed to relay to Harry? Despite the fact that his son was friends with Al, Harry couldn't help but be a little wary considering that Draco had been his enemy for a long time.

"What does the letter say, Dad?" Lily asked.

"It says Draco Malfoy wants to meet me in the Three Broomsticks tomorrow," Harry said. "He says he needs to talk to me."

"I wouldn't trust him, Dad," James said. "He was horrible to you in school and he was a Death Eater. It could be a trap."

"James!" Rose admonished. "That's not very nice!"

"I'm going to meet him," Harry declared. "If he's got some information, it might be useful."

"But Dad—" James started to protest.

"James, enough!" scolded Harry. "I know how you feel, but it needs to be done. I don't know if it's a trap, but I'll be prepared just in case. I think it's the right thing to do."

"Well, you have the right to decide, Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Should I inform your wife where you'll be?"

"Yes, I'm sure she'll be here tomorrow to check on Lily," Harry answered. "I'm going to make some preparations. I'll stop by to see you tomorrow morning, Lily, alright?"

"Sure, Dad," Lily said. Harry went to hug her, and she whispered, "Everything will be fine. I'm sure Draco's changed."

Harry nodded. "I know," he whispered back. But even so, he couldn't help feeling that something was off about Draco's invitation. He only hoped his feelings were wrong and that Draco had really changed as his daughter predicted.

A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. I really hope you liked it and that I did it okay. I just feel that maybe Draco has changed, but we'll see. Feel free to leave a review.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Same Side

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I meant to have this up earlier, but the weather wasn't good, and I didn't feel well. So, here it is now. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters. They are the property of J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters you don't recognize from the books.

Harry made his way down the street in Hogsmeade toward Three Broomsticks where he was supposed to meet Draco Malfoy. He never thought that he'd be talking to someone who was once his arch enemy. Things had definitely changed.

He spotted Draco Malfoy at a table with a glass of butterbeer. Harry made his way over to him, trying to figure out what this meeting was about.

Malfoy looked up and saw that Harry was at his table. "Have a seat, Potter," he said.

Harry did so and ordered a butterbeer. "So, what's this all about?" he asked after his drink had been served.

"There's been talk about reviving the Death Eaters," said Malfoy. "Evidently, there's been some dissatisfaction at Hogwarts which you already know about because of your daughter's attack. The parents of these children want to finish what their parents had started and are even putting this in their children's minds. It was supposed to be a secret, but those fifth year boys thought they'd brag about it and try to recruit members. My son and your son have been recruited many times."

Harry was shocked by this information. "How do you know this?" he asked.

"Scorpius," replied Malfoy. "He's written me a few times about this. Your son never wrote to you?"

"Not about these boys," answered Harry. "Maybe he didn't want me to worry about it." All the same, it did trouble him that his son never confided in him about this. Maybe something could've been done sooner.

Malfoy looked as though he wanted to say something but thought better of it. "Well, in any case, this isn't a good thing," he continued. "I think there should be someone on the inside to monitor what's going on, and I'm going to do that."

"That's mental!" exclaimed Harry. "You'd be taking a great risk."

"Yes, but I know how evil works, Potter," replied Malfoy. "I was once a Death Eater. I know what I'm doing. What, are you scared I'm going to take away your chance at glory?"

"No, I'm just concerned for your safety," responded Harry. "Maybe you should talk to Kingsley about this. It doesn't feel right to have you go into the thick of things like this. You have to remember that you have a son."

Malfoy bristled. "I do remember that, thank you!" he retorted. "I'm trying to protect him! I don't want him put in the same situation I was put in!"

"From what I saw, you were very excited to be joining the Death Eaters," countered Harry.

"That's because I was a kid!" Malfoy exclaimed. "I didn't know what the Dark Lord had planned for me. Once I found out, I was scared. You saw me in that bathroom, Potter. You know how I felt. If I had failed, my family would have died. You don't know what it's like hearing someone threatening the death of your family. It's the worst thing in the world. You don't know what it's like to face the unknown."

"Yes, I do," Harry said softly. "I was the one who had to find Voldemort's Horcruxes. All I had to go on was what Dumbledore told me before he died. I had nothing else. It was hard and very frightening what I had to do. It wasn't easy in the slightest."

"But you had help," Malfoy told him. "You had Weasley and Granger to help you. I had no one except Snape, and I didn't want his help."

"But he helped you anyway," Harry replied. "He saved your family from death."

Malfoy sighed. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "Look, I don't want to fight with you, Potter. We're on the same side now. I just think that this is the best solution. I know what's at stake. I'm doing this for my son. Surely you can understand that."

"Of course I do," Harry answered. "I just want you to be careful about it."

Malfoy laughed. "I never thought that I'd live to see Harry Potter worrying about my safety," he said.

"And I never thought I'd live to see Draco Malfoy wanting to catch Death Eaters," Harry added. "So, you'll take my advice?"

"Yeah, I will," Malfoy replied. "So, is your daughter okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Harry explained. "She should be out of the hospital in a few days if all goes well."

"That's good," Malfoy said graciously. "And the Mud—I mean her friend?"

"She's fine, too," Harry said, giving Malfoy a stern look for his near slip-up.

"Sorry, Potter," Malfoy said. "I didn't mean that. I really have changed, and I'm glad our sons can be friends. I'm not who I used to be."

"I know, Draco," Harry said gently. "How's your wife?"

"Fine," Malfoy answered. "She's expecting again. I wasn't sure I wanted more kids, but Astoria really wanted another, probably because she has a sister. I haven't told Scorpius yet. I want to wait until the holidays so it's a surprise."

"Congratulations," Harry said. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," said Malfoy. "Are you planning on having more kids? I mean, I know you have three already, but do you want more?"

"We have five kids," corrected Harry. "Ginny had twins when Al was in his first year at Hogwarts. Their names are Sirius and Ariana. And, no, we aren't having more kids. We have enough."

"Well, that's good," said Malfoy. " I have to go now. It was good seeing you, Potter. I'll talk to Kingsley and see what he says. I'll let you know how things go on my mission when I'm able to talk."

"Thanks, Draco," said Harry. "Good luck, and be careful." He held out a hand, and Malfoy shook it. Then both of them left and went their separate ways, realizing that they weren't enemies anymore.

22222

"Did you jinx him, Dad?" asked James once Harry arrived back at Hogwarts.

"No, I didn't," answered Harry. "We had a nice talk about what happened. Draco says he's going to try and act as a spy so he can find out what's going on."

"Is he mad?" asked Ginny. "He could die."

"I discussed that with him," said Harry. "I persuaded him to talk to Kingsley about it. He was reluctant at first, but he gave in."

Scorpius was shocked. "Why would he do that?' he asked. "He'll be away from me."

"He wants to protect you, Scorpius," replied Harry. "He doesn't want you to rtow up like he did.'

"Yeah, but it's still not right," said Scorpius. He left the hospital wing feeling really upset. Rose hurried after him, hoping to cheer him up.

"Poor Scorpius," said Lily as she watched the two leave. "I wish his dad wouldn't do that to him."

"I agree, but there's nothing we can do about it," said Harry. "We have to let the chips fall where they may."

22222

Rose hurried out of the hospital wing and followed Scorpius to an alcove in one of the corridors. She knew he was upset and wanted to try and make him feel better. He didn't deserve this, but she knew Mr. Malfoy was doing what he felt was best. She approached him softly, not wanting to scare him.

"Scorpius, please don't be upset," she begged. "Your dad's doing this because he loves you."

"It's not fair!" burst out Scorpius. "He's always wanted to play the hero. Why doesn't he just leave it to the Aurors? They know what they're doing!"

Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "I know," she said softly. "I feel the same way when Dad and Uncle Harry go out on a case. It's scary not knowing whether they'll come back or not. But I know they are doing it to protect us from the evil they grew up with. I'm sure your dad will be fine. He wouldn't do it if he didn't know what he was doing."

"Maybe," conceded Scorpius. "But it's still not right. I'll be all alone."

"No you won't," said Rose gently. "You'll have your mother, Al, and me. I'm going to ask Dad if I can invite you to our Christmas celebration. Maybe that'll make you feel better."

"You would do that for me?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "You shouldn't be alone with just your mother."

"Maybe he won't do this until after the holidays," said Scorpius hopefully.

"Let's hope so," said Rose. "But if not, you can always come to our gathering."

Scorpius reached out and hugged her. "Thanks, Rose," he said. He thought about kissing her, but he wasn't brave enough for that yet. But at least he had a friend he could confide in, and he hoped that one day, she would be more than that.

22222

"I can't believe you're doing this, Draco," said Astoria.

"I have to, Astoria," replied Draco. "We need to stop this."

"And what of your family?" she hissed. "You would go off and leave me pregnant with our second child? And what of Scorpius? You know he needs you."

"I'm doing this for him!" retorted Draco.

She sighed, her anger dissipating. "Yes, I know you are," she said resignedly. "Can you wait until after the holidays?"

"I'd like to, but the Minister says I should do this as soon as possible," replied Draco. "I'll be thinking of you every day, and I'll try and come home if I can. There might be a way to do it."

Astoria embraced him and kissed him on the lips. "I love you, Draco Malfoy," she said. "Be careful."

"I love you, too, Astoria Malfoy," said Draco. "Take care of yourself and our children. I really hope that I can be there for the birth of our second child." He kissed her on the lips one last time and left the house. Astoria watched him go with one hand resting on her flat stomach. She just hoped that Draco would come home to see their second child and that the threat of the Death Eaters would soon be gone for good.

A/N: Well, that's the end of the chapter. Did I do okay? I wanted to clarify that some things have changed with Draco because I believe he has changed a lot from what he used to be. Feel free to leave a review once you've read this. I want to make sure I'm doing this right. If there's anything wrong, let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Trial and Error

A/N: So, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took me so long to upt it up. I'll try not to do that again, but I can't make promises. This chapter will have a few different things going on at once, so I hope you can keep up. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters are the property of J.K Rowling and are not owned by me. I won only the characters you don't recognize.

"It's so good to be back here," said Lily as she looked around the Gryffindor common room. Being cooped up in the hospital wing wasn't fun. Sure, she didn't have to attend classes, but it was still lonely with only Miranda to talk to. She unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and started eating it, letting the taste wash over her tongue.

"Yeah, I know," said Miranda, eating a Sugar Quill. She was watching Kenneth and Hugo swapping Chocolate Frog cards.

Rose entered the common room with a smile on her face. "I just sent Mum an owl asking her if Scropius can come for Christmas dinner," she said. "I really hope she consents, though I'm sure Dad won't be happy."

"I'm sure Aunt Hermione will be okay with it," Lily assured her.

"Do you fancy Scorpius, Rose?" Miranda inquired.

"Well, yeah, a little," she replied. "I haven't told anyone else besides you two though. I don't know how everyone else will react."

"Well, I'm sure Al will be happy for you as well as Hugo," Lily told her. "I don't know about James though. He might be angry about it. But you'll have to tell people sooner or later. You can't keep it a secret forever."

Rose sighed. "I know, Lily, but it scares me," she said. "I don't want Scoprius to be shunned by our family."

"He won't be," reassured Lily. "Just calm down, okay?"

"Okay," said Rose. "I'll just hope for the best."

"Hey, Rose, where have you been?" asked James as he came down from the boys' dormitories.

Rose hesitated and looked beseechingly at Lily, who gave her a look that said, "Just get it over with." Rose nodded and turned to James. "I sent an owl to Mum asking if Scorpius can be invited to our Christmas dinner," she replied.

James's mouth gaped open. "Are you serious?" he demanded. "You want to invite a Malfoy to our Christmas dinner? You're mental!"

"I don't think it's mental," spoke up Hugo. "I think it's a nice gesture."

"Yeah, it's just a good thing to do," added Lily. "Just because his dad and our dad were enemies doesn't mean we have to be enemies with him."

"Easy for you to say!" retorted James. "You're so naïve when it comes to him. You can't trust a Malfoy."

"Oh, grow up!" snapped Rose. "He's going through a hard time with his father gone and all."

"Whatever," muttered James. "You lot do what you want." He stormed away from them and joined his friends.

"What a prat," muttered Miranda. "Why can't he just give Scorpius a chance?"

"Because that would be too easy for him," answered Lily. "I'm going to talk to Dad about it though. Maybe he'll have some good advice."

"I'll come with you," offered Rose.

So, after dinner was over, Rose and Lily headed to the staff table to talk to Harry. They waited until he was done talking to Professor Longbottom. Harry saw them approach and smiled at them.

"May I help you, girls?" he asked them.

"Yes, Professor, we need to talk to you," answered Lily. "It's about James."

"What about him?" asked Harry.

"We had a row," answered Rose. "He's prejudiced against Scoropus Malfoy. I asked Mum if he could come to Christmas dinner since his dad's away. I told James, and he went ballistic. I just don't know what to do with him. I thought maybe you could talk to him."

"I can try, but I don't know if it'll do any good," said Harry. "I think he's determined to hate Scorpius forever."

Rose's heart sank at these words. If that's true he won't welcome Scorpius into the family if we marry, she thought. Wait, had she really thought that? It was impossible to think about. Yes, she loved him, but she wasn't sure if marriage was in their future.

"Rose, are you okay?" asked Lily as she noticed her cousin's blank stare.

Rose snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm fine," she said. "Just thinking."

"Let's go back to the common room," Lily suggested.

"You go," Rose replied. "I have to go to the library."

"Okay, see you later," Lily said.

Rose watched her cousin leave and then left herself. She spotted James at the Gryffindor table and threw a glare his way. Why did he have to be difficult about all of this? Scorpius wasn't a bad person. Just as she was leaving the Great Hall she spotted Albus and Scorpius heading toward her.

"Scorpius, can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Sure," Scorpius replied. "You don't mind, do you, Al?"

"Not at all," Al answered. "See you later."

As soon as Albus left, Scorpius turned to Rose. "What's wrong, Rose?" he asked. "You look upset."

'It's James," Rose answered. "I told him I was inviting you to Christmas dinner, and he got mad. He said I can't trust you. I just don't know what to do!" Tears filled her eyes despite her effort to be brave.

Scorpius wiped her tears away. "Don't cry, Rose," he soothed. "I don't care what James thinks of me. I love you, and he's going to have to deal with that."

His words made Rose feel so much better and surprised her as well. "You—you love me?" she asked.

"Of course I do," said Scorpius. "I loved you when I first saw you. Don't you love me?"

"I—I'm not sure," she answered. "I mean, I think I love you, but I'm a little confused. I just think it's too soon for us to love each other like this when we've only known each other for three years."

Scorpius laughed. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "But I can wait as long as it takes until you're sure. Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next week?"

Rose smiled. "Of course I do," she said.

"Good," said Scorpius. He looked into her eyes then leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. A thrill went through Rose, but she wasn't sure this was right. She quickly pulled apart from him.

"Scorpius, it's too soon," she said. "We can't do this right now."

"Sorry," he said. "I don't know what came over me. You're right though. We shouldn't rush this." He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "Is that better?"

She was about to respond when a voice shouted, "I knew it!" They turned to see James coming toward them, his face flushed with fury. "Get away from my cousin!" he shouted at Scorpius.

"No," answered Scorpius. "I'm not hurting her."

"Rose, how could you?" snapped James. "You're nothing more than a traitor. Don't you even care about the family name?"

"Of course I do!" retorted Rose. "But why should you care? It doesn't look as though you care about it."

"I do, too!" countered James. "That's why I don't want you to date a Malfoy. They give wizards a bad name."

"Get out of it, Potter," ordered Scorpius.

"Shut it, Malfoy!" shouted James. "I'm not talking to you!"

"You're being stupid, James," Rose told him. "How would you like it if I told you you weren't allowed to date Ellie Perkins?"

"I don't like her," James said defensively.

"Yes, you do," Rose replied. "I see you with her a lot. Don't deny it. You're just holding a grudge because of what his dad used to be like. Things have changed since Voldemort's fall, James. Draco and Uncle Harry are friends now. Why can't you accept that?" Her face was red, and her brown eyes flashed in anger at her cousin.

"Because I don't trust him!" James shouted. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at Scorpius. "Come and fight me, Malfoy," he challenged.

"No," replied Scorpius. "I don't want to fight you. Put your wand away, Potter."

James continued to point his wand at Scorpius. He got ready to shout a spell, but before he could, a voice shouted, "James Sirius Potter, lower your wand!" James turned to see his father coming toward him with a stern look on his face.

James lowered his wand. "Dad, I was just trying to—" he started, but Harry cut him off.

"My office, now!" he ordered. He turned to Rose and Scorpius. "Are you alright?" he asked them.

"Yeah, we're fine," answered Scorpius. "Thanks, Professor."

"Anytime," said Harry. "You'd better get to your common rooms."

"Yes, Professor," said Rose and Scorpius. They parted ways and headed straight to their common rooms. Rose was feeling so many things at once, she couldn't tell what emotion was strongest. She spotted Lily and Miranda sitting in an armchair and hurried to her side.

"Rose, what happened?" asked Lily.

"A lot," answered Rose. "I talked to Scorpius about James, and he said he didn't care what James thought of him. Then he said he loved me and asked if I felt the same way."

"What did you say?"

"I said I wasn't sure and that we shouldn't rush into things," replied Rose. "He agreed, and then he kissed me."

Lily squealed. "Rose, that's fantastic!" she exclaimed. "What was it like?"

"Well, it was nice," said Rose. "But I told Scorpius not to rush things since we've barely begun dating, and he agreed with me again. Then he kissed me on the cheek, and that's when James came on the scene. He said some mean things and was ready to curse Scorpius when Uncle Harry came and stopped him."

"Well, that's a relief," said Lily. "I'm sure Dad's going to chew him out good."

"Yeah, he will," agreed Rose. "Well, I'd better get some work done." She headed to her dormitory and set to work on a Transfiguration essay that was due soon, trying to block out thoughts of Scorpius Malfoy.

22222

Meanwhile, Harry an James were in Harry's office. James was sitting in a chair looking defiant while Harry was pacing the room. He just couldn't believe his son had almost done magic in order to bully a student. He was acting like his grandfather, and Harry didn't like it at all.

"James Sirius Potter, I can't believe you," began Harry. "We didn't raise you to act in this manner. What was your reason for attacking Scorpius?"

"Because he fancies Rose," replied James. "I caught him kissing her on the cheek. I don't think she should be with a Malfoy."

Harry sighed. "James, there's nothing wrong with Scorpius," he said. "You need to give him a chance and stop bullying him. It's not right to show prejudice against someone just because of their name. You know that Draco and I are friends now. Don't make the same mistake your grandfather made."

James crossed his arms defiantly. If his dad was thinking of ordering him to be friends with Malfoy, he had another thing coming. There was no way he was going to be friends with that git.

Harry sensed his son's thoughts and knew he couldn't force James to be friends with Scorpius. "Look, I may not be able to force you to be friends with him, but I can stop you from bullying him," he said. "I'm giving you a detention for bullying, and if it continues, you'll get detention for the whole year. I'm also taking fifty points from Gryffindor. Is that understood?"

"Yes," said James. He wasn't happy about it, but he knew there wasn't anything he could do about it. He decided that the best thing he could do would be to ignore Scorpius and pretend he wasn't there.

"Good," said Harry. "Make sure you stick to it." The look in his eyes confirmed that he meant what he said. He wasn't going to allow history to repeat itself.

22222

A few days later, Lily was headed to the Ministry for the trials of Thomas Rookwood and Cameorn Dolohov. Although she'd been told what was going to happen, she was still nervous about it. Luckily, she had a good support group with her including Miranda, Albus, Scorpius, her father, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione. Her mother was unable to come as she had to finish up an article for the Daily Prophet.

"You'll be fine," Harry assured her. "Just tell them what happened."

"I know, Dad," replied Lily. She stepped out of the fireplace and went to the security wizard's desk to screen her wand. After that was done and the others had done the same, they went to the lifts which took them to the Department of Mysteries. Once down there, Lily couldn't help but shiver a little. This is where her father had faced Voldemort and where his godfather, Sirius, had died.

"Dad, isn't this where you had that battle?" asked Albus.

Harry nodded. "Yes, it is,' he said. "And this is where I had my hearing." He pointed to the courtroom where the trial was to be held. He led them through the doors and to the seats where they were to sit.

As she sat, Lily looked around the room. There were quite a few seats in this room, and a lot of them were filled. On one side a whole group of witches and wizards sat including the Minister of Magic. Lily figured these would be the ones who would be deciding the fates of Rookwood and Dolohov.

Dolohov and Rookwood came into the courtroom accompanied by their parents. They sat in two chairs with chains around them, but the chains didn't wrap around them. Lily saw that they weren't nervous at all. Instead, they looked pretty smug.

"This court will now come to order," said the Minister of Magic. He started naming off those who would be taking part in the proceedings and then read the charges for the accused. Everyone in the Wizengamot looked disapproving except for Dolores Umbridge, who looked as though she was enjoying herself.

"I would like to call Lily Potter to the stand," intoned Kingsley.

Lily took a deep breath and made her way to the witness stand. She was sworn in and sat down, ready to give her side of the story.

"Please state your name for the record," ordered Kingsley.

"Lily Luna Potter," replied Lily.

"You were one of the students who were attacked by these boys?"

"Yes, I was," answered Lily.

"Please tell us what happened," urged Kingsley.

Lily told them everything that happened as she and Miranda were going to class. As she spoke, she saw some of the members of the Wizengamot whispering to each other. After she was done, she waited to see what else would happen.

Kingsley was about to dismiss her when Umbridge gave a slight cough, indicating that she wanted to speak. Kingsley acknowledged her though he wasn't sure what she wanted to say.

"Miss Potter, are you sure you're telling us the whole truth?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," answered Lily. Why was this woman doubting her?

"Well, I know that children have the habit of not telling the full truth," continued Umbridge. "Your father can attest to that."

"Dolores, that is out of order!" Kingsley chastised. "Get to the point."

Umbridge shot Kingsley a sweet smile. "My apologies, Minister," she said. "What I mean to say is that I do not believe that Miss Potter and her friend were just attacked out of the blue. How do I know that you didn't attack the boys and they were defending themselves?"

"We didn't attack them!" Lily protested. "We were just on our way to class!"

"If you say so, dear," Umbridge simpered.

"Thank you, Miss Potter," said Kingsley. "You may take your seat."

Lily did so, wondering why Umbridge was acting so strangely. And what was that remark about her father about? She made a note to ask him about it later.

"We would now like to call Miranda Newman to the stand," Kingsley said.

At this, Umbridge stood up. "I object," she said. "This Muggle has no business testifying to the events."

"She was a victim of the attack," Kingsley replied. "We need her testimony to prove that the boys are guilty."

"You can see that they aren't," Umbridge protested. "These girls are obviously lying. Muggles are conniving and thrive on lies. I could see this Muggle attacking these boys with stolen magic."

"Dolores, that will do!" Kinglsey chastised. "You are purposely delaying this trial because of your prejudices. You will either comport yourself in a civil manner, or you will be dismissed from this courtroom."

Umbridge gaped at Kingsley. "Minister, surely you don't believe Miss Potter's story," she said.

"That's what I'm trying to surmise," Kingsely said impatiently. "But you seem to want to delay this trial because of prejudice and a grudge against a student you abused during his school days."

Umbridge stuttered but couldn't find any words. She gathered her things and stormed out of the courtroom, shooting a glare at Likely and Harry as she passed.

After she was gone, Kingsley resumed the trail and continued questioning Miranda. Then he questioned Albus, Scorpius, and the two accused boys. After that he and the other members of the Wizengamot began to confer. Then he said, "All in favor of conviction, raise your hands." All of the members did so.

Kingsley then stood up. "Thomas Rookwood, Cameron Dolohov, we find you to be guilty of using the Cruciatus Curse on two fellow students," he intoned. "We hereby expel you from Hogwarts for the remainder of this year. If your behavior improves, we may admit you back next year. Court is adjourned." He banged his gavel to signify that the proceedings were finished.

Everyone stood up and left the courtroom. Lily saw Rookwood and Dolohov give them dirty looks as they passed. She ignored them and followed her family, Miranda, and Scorpius out of the courtroom and to the lifts.

"I can't believe that evil woman is still working at the Ministry," Hermione said. "She shouldn't work there."

"I'm sure Shacklebolt wanted to get rid of her but was threatened so he had to keep her," Ron mused.

"Dad, what was that remark she made about you telling lies?" Lily asked her father.

"That refers to when I told her Voldemort was back, and she didn't believe me," Harry replied. "She gave me detention and made me write, 'I must not tell lies.' The thing is, the message also appeared on my hand as it was cut into my skin."

"Was that because the Ministry didn't want to believe he was back?" Miranda asked.

"Yep," Harry answered. "But at least we have a competent Minister now."

When they got back to Hogwarts, Lily told Kenneth, Hugo, Rose, and James all that had happened at the trial. Despite Umbridge's hateful comments, Lily thought the trial had gone very well. At least those two boys wouldn't be back for the rest of the year. After that, the talk turned to other things, and Lily and Miranda went to do some homework that needed to be finished as well as the notes that needed to be read. The only drawback was that Hugo's handwriting was a bit sloppy, so it was hard to read it, but they did what they could.

That night, Lily wrote a letter to her mother and told her about the trial. After she sent Minerva off, she got ready for bed. She was happy that the trial was over and that she wouldn't have to worry about those boys for the rest of the year. She closed her eyes, thinking good thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

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The next morning, Lily went down to breakfast and saw all the Gryffindors talking about various things. When the owls came to deliver the mail, Lily saw Minerva flying toward her. She pulled the letter off the owl's leg and opened it. It was a letter from Ginny expressing how glad she was that the boys were expelled and that they wouldn't be bothering Lily again.

"Lily, come look at this!" Rose called, waving a copy of the Daily Prophet over her head.

Lily came over and looked at the article which had a picture of Umbridge on it. "Minister sacks Umbridge," she read out loud. She smiled and continued reading the article out loud:

"Dolores Umbridge, formerly Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, was sacked yesterday after she made some inappropriate comments during a trail. Umbridge was reported to saying comments abusing Muggleborns and insulting Lily Potter, daughter of Auror Harry Potter. She stormed out of the courtroom after the Minister warned her to be civil during the trial. After it was over, the Minister had a heated conversation with Miss Umbridge and fired her from the Ministry.

"'Umbridge's comments were highly uncalled for," the Minster said yesterday. 'I felt that she should no longer work at the Ministry because of her ungracious attitude.''

"Umbridge retaliated by saying that her sacking was unjust and unfair. 'Clearly there's a conspiracy going on,' she stated. 'No doubt Potter is in on it.' When asked what she will do next, she replied, 'I am not sure, but I'm sure someone will hire me once they see how good I am. For now I want to relax and maybe see some sights.'

"No word yet on who will replace Umbridge, though the Minister did say he wants to replace her as soon as possible."

Lily laughed. "Serves her right," she said. "Now she doesn't have a job anymore. I bet she's not so smug now."

"Yeah, I know," added Miranda. "I think your Aunt Hermione should get the job. She'd be so good at it."

"I don't know if she'd want to, though," Lily mused. "She's happy with her job.

The rest of breakfast was spent discussing Umbridge and everything she'd done at Hogwarts. Hugo, Rose, Lily, and James told stories of Umbridge's regime at Hogwarts and how bad it was for their parents. At least she couldn't do any of those things anymore and hopefully would be humbled by her situation.

22222

Meanwhile, Dolores Umbridge was sitting in her home, thinking about her sacking. No doubt it had to be a conspiracy by the Minister and Potter. There was no other explanation for it. Well, no matter. She would get them back. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of an owl. She opened the letter addressed to her and read it, a smile spreading on her toadlike face. She grabbed a quill and parchment and drafted a response. Once she was done, she tied it to the owl's leg and sent it off again.

"Perfect," she said. "Everything's coming together nicely." Then she headed to the kitchen to make some food, happy that things would soon be going her way.

A/N: Well, this chapter is done. I want to clarify two things. First, I didn't know that Umbridge had been sent to Azkaban for her crimes against Muggleborns, so we'll just say that this is my own universe, okay? Second, I know that in my story Rose declares in her thoughts that she loves Scorpius and later says she isn't sure. That's because I feel that in her mind she thinks she loves him, but later realizes that she isn't truly sure of what her feelings are for him. I hope that's cleared up, and I apologize for any confusion. If you have questions about this, feel free to leave a review, and I'll be sure to answer.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Phoenix Song

A/N: Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, but I wasn't feeling well, and we had bad weather, too. We're supposed to have bad weather this afternoon, so I wanted to try and get this up before then. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed so far. It means a lot to me. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with Harry Potter. Those characters are owned by J.K. Rowling. I own any characters that aren't from the Harry Potter series.

The sun was shining brightly, and the birds were singing. Lily found herself on the Hogwarts grounds near the Forbidden Forest. She looked around and thought about how beautiful everything looked. Hagrid did such a good job with keeping the grounds looking nice. She was looking at the tress in the Forbidden Forest when she saw a flash of scarlet between the trees. Then she heard something that made her feel warm inside. It sounded like a bird, but it wasn't any sort of bird she'd ever heard before.

She started to follow the sound of the singing but had a hard time going through the forest. Once she did get in there, she tried to find the scarlet color but couldn't see anything. She kept walking deeper into the forest, trying to listen for the song, but it had stopped. What had happened? Was the bird gone, or had she imagined it?

"Hello?" she called. "Where are you?" She kept on walking. The bird had to be in the forest, or had flown away from it. She looked into the sky, trying to see if the bird was there, but she saw nothing.

Lily was ready to call out again when she heard a twig crack. She turned around and saw a group of centaurs staring at her, pointing bows and arrows at her. She could tell they weren't happy to see her.

"What are you doing here?" one of them demanded.

"I'm sorry, sir," Lily said. "I thought I saw a bird go into the forest, so I came to follow it. Have you seen it?"

"We have not seen anything apart from you, human," the centaur replied. "You are not welcome here. I suggest you leave here before we are forced to destroy you."

Lily was taken aback by their words and they scared her. She turned and tried to go back the way she had come but found she couldn't because the trees had somehow closed in around her. Wide-eyed, she began to panic.

"What are you waiting for, human?" the centaur asked. "We told you to leave at once. We're giving you one last chance to leave before we destroy you."

"I can't!" Lily cried. "The trees have blocked me in!"

"Then we have no choice," the centaur replied. "You must be destroyed." He and the others raised their bows and pointed them at Lily.

She began trembling. "No, please, don't hurt me!" she begged. "I didn't mean to come in here! Just let me go!"

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"Lily, Lily, wake up!" a voice said.

Lily sat bolt upright in bed with a gasp. She looked around and saw that she was in her dormitory. Miranda was next to her, looking concerned.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You were crying out in your sleep."

"I guess so," Lily answered. "I had a weird dream though." Then she told Miranda about what she dreamed. "It was so weird," she concluded. "Do you know anything about birds?"

"Some things, but not a lot," replied Miranda. "Can you describe the sound it made?"

Lily tried to imitate what she heard, but she wasn't sure if it was accurate. "I think that's what it sounded like," she said.

"And you said it was scarlet?" pursued Miranda.

"Yes," Lily answered. "After I heard it, I felt so warm and happy."

"Sounds like it was a phoenix," said Miranda. "I've read about legendary birds, and that's what it seems to be. We'll have to go to the library to be sure though. We can go during break."

So they went down to the Great Hall for breakfast and joined Hugo, Kenneth, James, and Rose. Lily told them about the dream because she felt it was important to tell them about it. James rolled his eyes and said that Lily shouldn't be taking it seriously. Rose, Hugo, and Kenneth looked intrigued.

"I think maybe this dream is trying to tell you something," Rose said.

"You mean it's like a message?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Rose replied. "But what it is, I'm not sure."

"Oh, come on!" James scoffed. "You can't possibly believe that. It was just a dream."

"Dad had dreams that weren't normal," Lily reminded him. "That's how he saw Grandpa Arthur get attacked."

"Yeah, but that's because he had a connection to Voldemort," James replied. "He could see into Voldemort's head, you know."

"So, you think someone's putting stuff in Lily's head?" asked Hugo.

"Could be," said James nonchalantly.

"No one's putting stuff in my head, James!" said Lily hotly. "This dream was real."

James said nothing more but rolled his eyes to express his skepticism. Lily ignored him and got into a conversation with Rose and Miranda about what they were going to do. The first step was go to the library and then consult Hagrid.

Classes went by too slowly for Lily's liking. She was excited about Defense Against The Dark Arts and wasn't disappointed. With each lesson Harry taught them something really interesting and practical. While the first lesson (which Lily missed due to being in the hospital wing) was mostly devoted to explaining what would be taught in the class, this lesson was devoted to learning it. Harry began by talking about some useful spells and then demonstrating them for the class. He started with the Disarming Charm and then put the class into pairs to practice. Lily was great at it having learned it already from James and Al as well as her father. Miranda faltered a bit with this but then recovered nicely. Hugo and Kenneth also did well on this lesson, which made Kenneth happy.

Once break had arrived, Lily, Miranda, Hugo, and Kenneth went to the library and found a book on birds. They flipped through it until Lily saw the color she had seen in her dream. Miranda pointed her wand at the bird, and it gave a sample of the bird's call. It was a bit loud and caused them to get a reproving glare from Madame Pince.

"Yes, that's the sound I heard," Lily said. "It has to be a phoenix in the forest."

They went down to Hagrid's after that, hoping he'd be able to answer their question. Lily knocked on the door and was greeted by Fang's booming barks Hagrid came to the door and smiled when he saw who was there.

"Nice ter see yeh," he said. "I was wonderin' when you were goin' to see me. Want a cup o' tea?"

"Yes, please," Lily replied.

They sat down and waited while Hagrid made the tea. When he was done, he served the tea along with a plate of chocolate chip cookies. The children ate them and thought they were very good. Lily was a bit surprised because she had heard stories about Hagrid's cooking from her dad. Hugo had, too, and was on the point of saying something until a nudge from Lily made him stop.

"Hagrid, do you know if there are phoenixes in the forest?" asked Lily.

"Phoenixes?" repeated Hagrid. "No, there aren't any that I know of."

"Have there been any at Hogwarts?" inquired Miranda.

"The on'y one I remember was Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes," replied Hagrid. "He was a great pet. He helped yer dad when he was in the Chamber of Secrets, Lily. Magnificent bird he was."

"What happened to him?" asked Hugo.

"Well, he left after Dumbledore died," Hagrid responded. "Never saw him since." He looked at them with a puzzled expression. "Why yeh wanna know?"

Lily told him about the dream she had last night. "It felt so real to me," she concluded. "Do you think maybe Fawkes has come back?"

"I don't know," Hagrid said honestly. "He might be, or it might've just been a dream that has no meaning. Have you heard the song ever since the dream?"

"No, I haven't," Lily said. "But I might hear it one day. I just have a feeling that it's a sign of something. Hagrid, could you take me into the forest one day soon? I want to see if my hunch is right."

"I guess I could do that," replied Hagrid. "I'll have to ask your dad if it's okay though. I don't want him to get mad if I do it without tellin' him."

Lily nodded, and the subject was changed to something else. She knew her dad needed to know about this. After all, he'd had dreams that seemed real and had helped him a number of times. But hadn't James said it was because of his connection to Voldemort? Yes, but maybe he could tell her what is was about and why she was having this dream.

After tea was over, Lily and the others said goodbye to Hagrid and went back to the castle. But as they left, Lily distinctly heard the same sound from her dream. She stopped abruptly and listened more closely. The others stopped, too, and stared at her.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Hugo asked.

"Shh!" Lily ordered. She listened again and knew the sound was coming from the forest. "It's the sound form my dream," she said. "I know it is."

"Lily, we have to go to class," Miranda reminded her. "We can do this later."

But Lily shook her head. "No, I can't," she said. "I need to know. You go on ahead and tell Professor Flitwick where I've gone."

"But, Lily, we're not allowed in the forest," Kenneth told her. "It's forbidden."

"I don't care," Lily declared. "I'm going to see if my dream was right." And with that, she bolted into the forest while her cousin and friends tried to call her back. She ignored them, certain that she was going to get her answer here.

She kept on running, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Then she caught a glimpse of color between the trees. Yes, this was just like her dream. She followed the color and hoped that she'd see the phoenix. Yet each time she thought she'd see it, the color disappeared. She had never been here before and didn't know where to go next. She decided to follow the sound of the song some more to see if she could catch a glimpse of the phoenix.

She heard a twig snap behind her and whirled around. Nothing was there. Lily had been told about the forest by her father. He had warned her not to go in there. Why hadn't she gone to Hagrid and asked him to go with her? Why had she been so rash?

Before she could answer her own questions, she heard more twigs snapping. She whirled around again and saw a group of centaurs coming towards her, looking at her curiously. They had the heads of men and the bodies of horses. All of them were carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows like in her dream.

"What are you doing here, human?" one of them demanded.

"I was looking for a phoenix," Lily answered. "You haven't seen it, have you?"

"We have seen noting apart from you, human," the lead centaur replied. "You are not welcome here. We suggest that you leave here at once."

Lily waited for the trees to block her way back, but they stayed put. She could leave freely and not have to worry about getting hurt. But what about the phoenix? What if she never saw it again? She had to keep going.

"I have to go on," she said. "I need to know why the phoenix is here. I had a dream about it. You have to let me go." She looked at them with pleading eyes, hoping they would take pity on her.

But the lead centaur didn't. "Then we have no choice but to destroy you," he said. "We do not allow humans in our forest."

"Bane, she is young," said a second centaur. "You know we do not hurt foals. Let her pass."

"The time for sparing foals is past," Bane replied. "You know that as well as do, Ronan. They will grow up and change their ways to fit all of the humans. It is best to get rid of them while they are young."

"What about Hagrid?" Lily asked. "Surely you let him in here?"

"Very rarely and only when he is teaching classes," Bane told her. "There was a time when he was granted free passage here, but that was before he stood up for the traitor known as Firenze. You, on the other hand, have no business here. We must destroy you." He nodded to the other centaurs who raised their bows and pointed them at Lily. Only Ronan did not follow them though he knew better than to go against them.

She was getting scared now. This was the part where she woke up after pleading with them. "No, please," she begged. "You have to spare me." She waited, but they didn't lower their weapons. Then she thought of something. "Wait!" she shouted. "My father is Harry Potter, and if you kill me, you'll have to answer to him!"

"Harry Potter?" Bane repeated. "The one who defeated the Dark Lord?"

"Yes," Lily replied.

Bane studied her. "I see no resemblance to Harry Potter," he said. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not!" Lily protested. "I'm telling the truth. You must believe me!"

"Silence!" Bane shouted. "No more of your lies!" He raised his bow and prepared to fire it.

Lily said no more. This was it. She was never going to see her family again. She braced herself for the shower of arrows, tears pouring out of her eyes. But then she heard the phoenix song again, and it was closer than ever. Before Lily could look around, Fawkes flew toward the centaurs, his talons curved. The centaurs tried to fend him off with their arrows, but he avoided them and dived at the herd. After the centaurs ran out of arrows, they had no choice but to flee. After they had fled, Fawkes fluttered to Lily and settled on her shoulder.

Lily reached up and stroked the phoenix's feathers. "Thank you," she said. She was going to say more but stopped as there was the sound of more rustling. She pulled out her wand and pointed it in front of her, cursing herself for not thinking of using it when the centaurs were there. The rustling grew louder, and her father and Hagrid came running toward her.

"Lily, what do yeh think yer doin'?" Hagrid scolded. "Yer lucky yeh weren' killed. I thought you were goin' to wait for me to take you."

"I'm sorry, Hagrid," Lily replied. "I heard the phoenix song and had to see what it was."

"You know you're not supposed to be in the forest," Harry chastised. Then he looked at the phoenix on her shoulder. His eyes widened in shock. "Fawkes," he whispered.

"Blimey!" Hagrid exclaimed. "He came back! But why?"

"No idea," Harry replied. ""We'd better go to McGonagall's office and see what she thinks."

So, the three of them went back to the castle and to McGonagall's office. She was surprised to see them and equally surprised to see Fawkes on Lily's shoulder.

"What has happened?" she asked them.

Lily explained everything from the dream to hearing Fawkes and entering the Forbidden Forest. Professor McGonagall's lips thinned at that, but she continued to listen to the young girl's story. It seemed unusual to her that Fawkes would suddenly return.

Dumbledore's portrait was listening to the conversation. "This is extraordinary," he said. "It seems as though Fawkes has chosen a new master, or in this case, a new mistress."

"But why has he come back, Professor?" asked Harry.

"As to that, I don't know," replied Dumbledore. "Perhaps he sensed that Lily needed him and came to her aid. I'm not sure how long he's been in the forest, but it was fortunate he was there this time. Lily, you are now Fawkes's keeper and must take care of him. I assure you, he will be a great pet and very faithful."

"But I already have an owl," protested Lily. "Maybe he could stay here instead."

But Fawkes didn't go to his old perch and merely stayed on Lily's shoulder.

"I believe Fawkes has chosen you," Dumbledore said. "It doesn't hurt to have tow pets."

"Spare me the sentimental drivel," Snape said. "You're rewarding the brat when she needs to be punished for breaking the rules."

"Severus, that's enough!" Harry chastised. "I told you not to bully my children. Lily will be punished for going into the forest. She'll get a week's detention with me and thirty points from Gryffindor."

"Very well, Harry," Professor McGonagall said. "Miss Potter, please go back to your common room and get your books for your next class."

Lily did as she was told and left Fawkes in her dormitory. He settled on his perch and got ready for a nap. She couldn't understand what this meant, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it. She went to Potions and tried to concentrate on that day's lesson, but she couldn't. Miranda and the others were mad at her for being so rash and wouldn't speak to her. She hoped they'd get over it soon and be friends with her again.

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Up in her tower room, Sibyll Trelawney was gazing into her crystal ball and gasped at what she saw. It was just like the vision she'd seen before. She hadn't thought it was accurate at first, but now she knew better.

"It's happened," she whispered. "My vision has come true." She had to speak to the young girl. Lily Potter had to know about the vision and what it entailed. She couldn't be left in the dark any longer. She was the key they were looking for during this time. Sibyll sensed that darkness was upon them and that Lily Luna Potter was the light that would smother the darkness.

A/N: Dun dun dun! So, now Fawkes is finally in the picture and a prediction has sort of come to pass. What does this mean for Lily? Well, you'll have to read on to find out. And don't forget, evil is still at large, and you'll be seeing some of it in the next chapter. Please feel free to leave a review once you've finished reading. I'd really like to know what you think. I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow depending on how I feel and if the dog will let me. Until then, just think about all you have read and keep guessing. It's always fun to do that.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Dark Reunion

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I want to get it up before the storms get here this afternoon. As I said in the last chapter, evil is not gone, and you'll see it here. I was debating how best to do this, and I think I've done pretty well with what I have cooked up. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, but you already know that.

Draco Malfoy made his way to the building where the small group of Death Eaters were meeting. He was very nervous about what he was doing, but he knew it was the best plan. After talking to the Minister of Magic and some of the Aurors, he felt relieved that they had approved of his plan. To be on the safe side, Raymond Savage, one of the top Aurors, was accompanying him in disguise. The cover story they were to use was that Savage, now named Alistair Brentwood, had heard of the group and wanted to join.

Malfoy was shaking. What if the plan failed? He didn't want his son to grow up as he did. No matter what his feelings were in the past, Draco Malfoy had changed and had vowed not to treat his son as his father treated him.

Savage noticed Malfoy's nervous look. "Don't worry, everything will be fine," he reassured him. "As long as we stick to the plan, they won't suspect anything."

Malfoy didn't respond, but he was still a little leery about tis. If it all went wrong, he was dead, and his son would grow up without a father. He pushed these thoughts from his mind and approached the door to the building. He knocked three times, and the door opened. Malfoy slipped inside the room and looked around. It was fairly small with shabby wallpaper and dusty furniture. Sitting around a table were Steven Rookwood, Nathan Macnair, Eric Dolohov, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini.

"Ah, Draco, you've come," Rookwood said. "Delightful. And who might your guest be?"

"Alistair Brentwood," Savage replied. "I've been interested in your cause and wish to join you."

"Such a shame you couldn't be here when the Dark Lord was in power," Rookwood told him.

"Yes, I was foolish then," Savage explained. "I was raised with the idea that wizards and Mudbloods should live in harmony. For so long, I parroted my parents' beliefs until I befriended others who thought differently. Then I met Draco, who told me of your group, and I decided to join."

"Is this all we have?"Malfoy said. He surveyed the members who were present as though expecting more.

"Yeah, so far," Rookwood replied. "We tried to bring Nott in, but he refused to join. He said he wanted no part of it. I always knew he was a weak one. We're trying to recruit others, but this is all we have."

"Actually, I did invite someone else here," Macnair interjected. "They should be here soon."

"Oh," said Malfoy. "How are you, Pansy?"

"Much better now that I've left that scum I married," replied Pansy scathingly. "He cheated on me with a Mudblood he met. Just left me and my daughter, Abigail. But no worries. I'll get my revenge on him. What about you, Draco? Are you seeing anyone?"

Malfoy wanted to roll his eyes in contempt but refrained from doing so. "I'm married, and we have a son," he said. "He's thirteen now."

"I see," replied Pansy. "Who did you marry?" She couldn't fathom Draco Malfoy marrying anybody but her. She had once fancied him and wanted him to herself, but that failed after Voldemort's defeat. She had moved on and married a pureblood named Brandon Crawford then had her daughter, Abigail Sofia Crawford. Things seemed to be going well for her until Brandon cheated on her with a Mudblood, leaving her to raise Abigail. She had gone back to her maiden name and changed her daughter's last name as well. She always secretly hoped that she'd see Draco again, and that they would marry, but it was not to be now.

"Astoria Greengrass," answered Draco. "My son's name is Scorpius."

"Well, congratulations," said Pansy bitterly. "At least you have some happiness."

Draco was about to respond when there was another knock on the door. Rookwood pointed his wand at the door and opened it, revealing a stout figure hidden in shadow. Draco gasped as the figure stepped into the light, revealing herself to be Dolores Umbridge.

"What are you doing here?" Malfoy asked.

"I'm here to lead your little group," Umbridge answered. "For too long, I have been at the mercy of blood traitors and Mudbloods usurping my authority. I'm here to help rid the world of such filth and to become the true leader for the purebloods. You need someone who knows how to make people bend to their will. You know how I almost took over Hogwarts. Well, now it's time for all of us to enact our revenge on those who have left us downtrodden."

"Well said," Rookwood praised her. "You're right, and I think you'd be a great leader for our cause. Any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Good," Rookwood said. "So, what should we do first, Madam Umbridge?"

Umbridge smiled. "I think we should plan carefully before doing anything," she replied. "We need to make sure we don't make any mistakes. We need to recruit more members and see if we can break out some of the ones in Azkaban. That won't be easy, but I'm sure we can manage it if we plan it carefully. After that, we should maybe start at Hogwarts first, since attacking the Ministry right away might not be a good idea. We should bide our time on that, but you can bet that they will pay. If there is anyone you want to enact revenge on, let me know, and we'll make our presence known. We should also go on about our normal business so that we don't attract any unwanted attention. It's best to have spies in places so we can penetrate the weaknesses. We'll meet again next month and go over our first mission. For now, just try and recruit as many followers as you can and bring them to the next meeting."

"So, we can return to our families?" Draco inquired.

"Yes," replied Umbridge. "After all, the Dark Lord's followers kept up appearances, so we should as well."

"What about a name for us?" asked Pansy.

"Ah, yes, I thought about that," Umbridge repied. "Well, I know that most of you are former Death Eaters, but I think that name should stay in the past. I feel that we're starting a new order of things and should call ourselves The New Regime. Any objections?"

No one opposed it.

"Good," Umbridge said. "I suggest we adjourn for now. I will send you an owl for the next meeting. As soon as I can, I'll try to find a more discreet method that won't raise suspicions. Good day to you."

Draco Malfoy got up and left the building followed by Savage. He was anxious to talk to Harry Potter and let him know what was going on. Savage, who had been taking sips of Polyjuice Potion from a flask in his pocket, also thought things looked fishy. Once they were out of earshot of the gathering, he asked Malfoy what he thought about what Umbridge had said.

"It's frightening to say the least," Malfoy admitted. "But I have a feeling she won't succeed at her task."

"Same here," Savage agreed. "I'm going to report to Dawlish about this. You want me to talk to Harry?"

"No, I can do it," Malfoy answered. "I promised him I would keep him up to date on things."

"Good," Savage said. "I'll keep in touch."

Malfoy nodded and Apparated back home. Astoria was surprised to see him but relieved as well. He kissed her on the lips and went to his study to write letters to Harry and Scorpius. He wanted to assure his son that he hadn't abandoned him. After that was done, he ate a good meal and read a book until it was time for bed. He was relieved to be home and happy that he wouldn't have to leave his family. He was still worried about what he had to do, but he had no choice. It just brought back bad memories from when he served the Dark Lord, though Umbridge was far from what Voldemort had been. Yes, she would fail, and he would make sure of it.

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Dolore Umbridge smiled as she thought about her plan. She was determined to overthrow the Ministry and declare herself as Minister of Magic. She also wanted to get rid of Harry Potter, the one who had made the Dark Lord taste defeat. She felt that he needed to do the same and be brought to his knees. But first, she had to recruit members, especially former Death Eaters. Once that was done, her plan would be in motion, and nothing would stop The New Regime.

A/N: Uh-oh. This can't be good if Umbridge is leading a group. I was trying to find a suitable villain and thought that Umbridge would do since she's just as evil as Voldemort. So, what happens next with this New Regime? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out, but I assure you that it won't be good at all. These people are crazy. Feel free to leave a review to let me know what you thought.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Vision

A/N: So, last chapter we found out about The New Regime and what Toad Face, er, Umbridge wants to do. Draco is a spy for the Ministry to catch these people and take them down, Rose and Scorpius have feelings for each other, and Lily has become Fawkes's new owner. Now, we head back to Lily and the gang to see what our redhead is up to now. Needless to say, it's going to be very interesting, but you'll have to read on to find out what'll happen. A big thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. I couldn't continue this without your support. I hope you keep sticking with me.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? You all know I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be rich right now and wouldn't be without a job.

Lily concentrated hard as she sorted files in the Defense Against The Dark Arts office. It was the first day of her week long detention with her father. Although she knew she'd done wrong by going into the Forbidden Forest, she didn't think this was such a bad punishment. She figured she'd be doing lines or something like that. Still, it wasn't that bad. She was spending time with her father, even though she didn't get a chance to talk to him. He was busy grading homework while she was doing the filing.

She heard her father put down his quill and sigh. He sounded as though he was tired of grading papers. She wanted to look up to him but felt that if she did, he would reprimand her.

"Time to call it a night, Lily," Harry said. "Mark your spot so you can come back to it tomorrow."

Lily did so and stood up. Her legs were sore after being in one position for so long. Maybe the punishment wasn't so easy after all, she thought. She walked over to Harry's desk and noticed how tired he looked.

"Are you okay, Dad?" she asked him.

"I'm fine, Lily," he replied. "Just tired. Come on, I'll walk you to Gryffindor Tower."

Lily smiled and followed him out of the office. "Dad, did you ever get a detention?" she asked him.

To her surprise, Harry laughed. "Yeah, I had a few," he said. "And, yes, I did go into the Forbidden Forest without permission, but that was to help solve a mystery. But that doesn't make what I did right even though I had good intentions."

"You didn't get in trouble for it," Lily pointed out. "Dumbledore rewarded you."

"Yeah, but that was after Ron and I went into the Chamber of Secrets and rescued your mum," Harry told her. "It's very different from what you did."

"What about when you had that dream about Sirius?" Lily asked him. "You broke into the Department of Mysteries because of it."

A look of pain crossed Harry's face at the mention of Sirius and that fateful day. "Look, we're not talking about this anymore," he said softly. "Just promise me you won't do anything like that again."

Lily knew she'd gone too far when she mentioned Sirius. "Okay, Dad, I promise," she said. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"It's okay," Harry replied. "You're right though. I was rash, and I regret it every day. It was my fault he died like that."

"No, it wasn't," Lily protested. "You didn't know it was a trap. You did what you thought was right. It's the same with me. I shouldn't have gone into the Forest, but I had to find out what my dream meant."

"You've told me this before," Harry reminded her. "As for that dream, I don't know what that was about. Maybe it was just a coincidence that you dreamed about Fawkes being in the Forest."

"Yeah, but then it happened," Lily replied. "How can you explain that?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess I can't explain it," he answered. "The important thing is that you're okay." He stopped before the Fat Lady, who looked angry.

"Where have you been?" she demanded of Lily. "You should have been in bed!"

"She was doing a detention with me," replied Harry. He turned to his daughter. "Now, go to bed, Lily," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, Dad," said Lily. She gave the Fat Lady the password and stepped through the portrait hole. She was surprised to find Hugo, Kenneth, and Miranda waiting up for her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them.

"We just wanted to see how your detention went," answered Hugo.

"Well, for your information, it went well," Lily answered shortly.

"What did you have to do?" Miranda asked her.

"Just filing," Lily told her. "I don't know why you care anyway. You haven't talked to me since I returned from the Forest."

"Look, Lily, we're sorry about that," Kenneth interjected. "You just scared us when you dashed into the Forest. That's when we ran for help and got Hagrid and your dad to come find you. We didn't dare to do it ourselves."

Lily wanted to stay angry at them, but she couldn't. She knew they only did it to protect her, and that meant a lot to her. They were truly loyal friends. She broke out in a smile. "Okay, I forgive you," she said. The four of them laughed, happy to be friends again.

"Well, we'd better get to bed," said Miranda briskly. "We've got class in the morning."

"Yeah, and I have Quidditch tryouts, too," added Lily. "I'm trying out for Chaser."

"I thought first years couldn't get on the team," said Miranda.

Lily smiled. "They can't, but Dad persuaded McGonagall to let me try out," she replied. "He knows how much I want to play, so McGonagall is letting me do it on the condition that I make sure my grades don't slip and I practice hard."

"That's awesome, Lily," said Kenneth. "I hope you get it."

"Me, too," added Hugo. "Well, we'll see you in the morning. 'Night."

"Goodnight, you two," said Lily and Miranda. As the girls headed upstairs, Lily told Miranda the story of how her father became the youngest Seeker in a century. Miranda was impressed and thought that Lily had a good chance of making the team. Lily didn't respond because she didn't want to appear overconfident. She actually had misgivings about it and wondered whether James would give her a chance to prove herself, or whether he'd say she wasn't worth it. The thought plagued her as she settled down to sleep.

22222

The next day dawned with no clouds in the sky. Quidditch tryouts were to take place at the end of the day so they wouldn't interfere with classes. During the day Lily had butterflies in her stomach and had second thoughts about trying out.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," she fretted. "I was stupid to ask Dad if I could do this. There's no way I'm going to make the team."

"Oh, stop it, Lily," Rose rebuked her. "You're an excellent Quidditch player. You'll do fine. And if you don't make it, at least you did your best. Cheer up."

Rose's words made Lily feel better, and she ate a good lunch. Her classes went well and passed by quickly, which she wasn't expecting. During a break she talked to Hugo and Kenneth about Quidditch. Neither boy was going to try out because they weren't made for the sport though they loved to watch it. They both told her that they'd be cheering her on at her matches.

Just before break ended, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder and turned around to see Professor Trelawney standing behind her and looking a little harried.

"Are you Lily Potter?" she asked.

"Yes," Lily answered. "Is everything okay?"

"I need to talk to you, my dear," Professor Trelawney said. "It's urgent."

"Alright, but I have to go to class in fifteen minutes," Lily told her.

Professor Trelawney didn't reply and led her to the tower room. Lily went up the ladder, wondering what this was about. She had never spoken to the Divination teacher but had heard about her from Harry. She was the one who'd dictated the prophecy about her father and Voldemort.

"Sit, my dear," urged Professor Trelawney, indicating a table with a crystal ball sitting on top. Lily sat down and waited until Professor Trelawney sat down opposite her.

"I have been wanting to talk to you," began Professor Trelawney. "The crystal ball has informed me that you are a very important person."

Lily seemed confused. "Does this have to do with my Quidditch tryout?"

Professor Trelawney looked shocked. "Quidditch tryout?" she repeated. "Oh, no, no, no, dear. This has to do with the one who is destined to be the Heir of the Phoenix. The one who is the Heir will be the one to summon the phoenix to them."

"Wait, are you talking about my dream?" Lily whispered.

"Your dream?" Professor Trelawney repeated. "You had a vision, too?" She reached out and took Lily's hands in her own. "Oh, my dear, this is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I'm not the only one who saw you in the Forest. Once I woke up, I consulted the crystal orb to see what it would say. It showed me what I had seen in my vision. I realized that I had to speak to you and to find out if what the orb told me was true." She took a deep breath. "My dear, you are the Heir of the Phoenix."

"Excuse me?" Lily inquired.

"You're the Heir of the Phoenix," Professor Trelawney repeated. "You called the phoenix to you when you were in distress."

"Yeah, but that was after I got caught by the centaurs," she pointed out. "I went into the Forest because I heard Fawkes."

Professor Trelawney nodded. "Yes, he was looking for his Heir," she explained. "He sensed you were there and came to your aid."

"So, what does this mean?"

"That you are destined to be the light that smothers the darkness," answered Professor Trelawney. "I do not know what the darkness is, but I will keep consulting the orb and let you know when I have an answer."

"Okay," said Lily. She felt a little uncomfortable around Professor Trelawney. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I have to go now."

"Of course, dear," replied Professor Trelawney. "I hope to see you soon."

Lily nodded and left North Tower. She went to Gryffindor Tower, gathered her books, and headed to class. She met Miranda, Kenneth, and Hugo and told them what Professor Trelawney said to her. All of them had different reactions to the news.

"That's creepy," said Hugo. "Both of you having the same dream like that."

"Yeah, but maybe it was a coincidence," said Kenneth. "Me dad says Professor Trelawney's a fraud and doesn't really predict anything."

"If that's the case, maybe she heard you talking about your dream," speculated Miranda.

"I doubt that," responded Lily. "I never saw her near me, and she rarely leaves her tower room. It's just weird. I'll talk to Dad about it later. Maybe he'll have an explanation."

"Yeah, isn't Trelawney the one who predicted the prophecy about Uncle Harry and Voldemort?" Hugo asked.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, so he can tell me whether the dream she had was true or not," she said.

Professor Binns cleared his throat. "Perkins, Nesbitt, Flannigan, and Weatherby, enough talking there," he chastised.

The four of them jumped, forgetting that they were in class. After Binns rebuked them, they stopped talking and focused on the lesson. Miranda was taking notes, but Lily wasn't paying attention. She was thinking about Quidditch tryouts and how nervous she was. What if she messed up? Would James make fun of her for it? What if her dad became disappointed that she didn't make the team? She felt that if she didn't make the team, she'd bring shame to the family name. People would be shocked that a Potter turned out to be a lousy Quidditch player.

She felt a poke in her side and turned to see Miranda looking at her. "What?" she asked.

"It's time to go," Miranda answered. "Why weren't you talking notes?"

"Because I just forgot," Lily told her. "I had Quidditch on my mind."

"Relax, Lily," Miranda urged her. "You come from a good family of Quidditch players. It's in your blood to do well."

Lily hoped she was right, and she kept repeating Miranda's words to herself to give herself courage. Before she knew it, it was time for her to go to the Quidditch pitch. Her friends and cousin wished her good luck, and she thanked them. As she made her way to the Quidditch pitch, she thought about her other family members. Her father had been the youngest Seeker in a century after retrieving Neville's Rememberall. Her uncles Fred, George, Charlie, and Ron were also good players and forged a legacy at Hogwarts. Even her mother became a famous Quidditch player for the Harpies and had even played Chaser at Hogwarts before then. Even her brothers were good players and both played Seeker for their teams. It was this, more than anything, that made her want to be on the team.

She spotted a small group of Gryffindors lined up for tryouts. Lily became even more nervous until she spotted Rose's best friend Cynthia Davies and hurried over to her. She saw James on his broom talking to the Keeper, Len Farnsworth. It seemed like they were waiting for more people, but Lily didn't see anyone else coming.

"Alright, listen up!" James said. "We're going to hold tryouts for Beaters and Chasers. Len and I will be helping you to see if you're any good. We'll see the Chasers first. You'll have three tries to put the Quaffle in the hoop. If you fail all three attempts, you won't be put on the team. If you've never done this before, you shouldn't bother trying out. Okay, when I call your name, try and get past the Keeper. Laura Abrams."

Lily watched Laura attempt to get the Quaffle into one of the goals. Her first and second attempts weren't good at all. She was close on the third attempt but fell a bit short. A few of the other applicants weren't good either. When Cynthia was called, she approached the hoops, sized up the distance, and let the Quaffle go. It soared into the first goal post. Her second attempt went well, but she missed on her third. Still, it was fairly good, and Lily gave her an encouraging smile. Cynthia returned it and wished Lily good luck.

Wen Lily was called, she mounted the broom her father had bought her and sped toward the goal posts, the Quaffle under her arm. She eyed the Keeper and tried to guess what he'd do. He was hovering by the middle post. Lily went toward the right post and sent the Quaffle in an arc. The Keeper tried to get it but missed. On her second try she almost missed the hoop, but it went in at almost the last second. She missed on her third try because the Keeper was too fast. She wasn't upset though because she was sure she'd made the team.

After the tryouts were over, James and Len conferred together and thanked all of those who tried out. "When I call your name, come over here by us," James ordered. "Stella Trent, Cynthia Davies, Lily Potter, Darren Ellis, and Jerome Keller. Congratulations, you've made the team. Trent, Davies, and Potter are the new Chasers, and Ellis and Keller are the new Beaters. For those who didn't make it, nice try. Maybe you can try out next year. Those on the team, I need to talk to you."

After everyone left, James turned to his team. "Good job, all of you," he said. "I really hope that we can secure the Cup this year once more. Our first practice will be next Friday at five, so be sure you're there. Any questions?"

Nobody said anything.

"Good," James said. "You can go now."

Cynthia was very excited. "I have to tell Rose," she said. "You coming, Lily?"

"I'll be along," Lily replied. "I have to talk to my brother."

Cynthia nodded and headed back to the castle. Lily waited until James was finished talking to Len and walked up to him. "I need to talk to you," she said.

"Okay, what's up?" James asked.

"Did you choose me because you thought I was good, or for a joke?"

James was taken aback. "Now, where would you get that idea?" he asked. "I thought you were excited to be trying out."

"I was, but I want to know the truth," Lily insisted.

"Come on, Lily, you know you're good," replied James. "You do so well when we're playing at home. I didn't do it for a laugh, Lily. I really think you have a good shot for our team."

"Thanks, James," said Lily. "I'm just worried people will think you chose me because we're related."

James shrugged. "Let them think what they want," he said nonchalantly. "They won't be laughing when they see you play. Look, I've got to go. Just don't worry about it, okay?"

"Okay," said Lily resignedly. She knew he was right, but she couldn't help but worry about it. She hated people making generalizations about her because of her last name. What would they say if they knew she was the Heir of the Phoenix? She had only told Rose, Hugo, Kenneth, and Miranda about it after all. If anyone else found out, they would start to spread rumors. That was the last thing she wanted for herself.

Lily approached the Fat Lady, gave the password, and entered the common room. She found Rose, Hugo, Miranda, Kenneth, and Cynthia all talking excitedly. Rose spotted Lily and came running over to give her a hug.

"Congratulations, Lily!" she exclaimed. "Cyn's just told us you made the team. This is so exciting!"

"Yeah, good job, cousin," Hugo added. "I knew you had it in you."

"Nicely done," Miranda chimed in. "I'm sure you'll do well in the matches."

"We better get her autograph now," Kenneth said. "We have a star Quidditch player in our midst."

"Come off it, Ken, I haven't even played yet," protested Lily.

"Yeah, but we know you'll be good," replied Kenneth. "You have good Quidditch genes in your family."

"I can't wait to tell Al," said Rose. "He'll be so excited. And your dad will be happy, too. Maybe we can have a party or something."

"Hey, you could skip out on your detention," said Hugo. "I'm sure Uncle Harry will let you."

"I'm not going to do that," replied Lily. "It's my last one, and I'm going to serve it. I don't want any special treatment from anybody."

And, sure enough, Lily went to her father's office that night, ready to finish her final detention. She knocked on the door and stepped in when told to do so. Harry was at his desk with a pile of parchment on it. His eyes lit up when he saw his daughter, and he stood up to greet her.

"Lily, I heard about your tryout," he said, giving her a hug. "Congratulations. I can't wait to see your first match. I already sent an owl to your mum. I'm surprised you came here."

"Why would that be a surprise?" asked Lily.

"Well, I figured maybe James would find a way for you to skip detention because of your win," said Harry. Then he grinned. "And it's something I would've tried to do myself."

"Even if he suggested such a thing, I wouldn't have done it," said Lily firmly. "I'm not that type."

"No, you're not," said Harry. "You stick to things until the end. Speaking of which, since this is the last detention, I'm going to help you finish the filing, and I'll allow you to talk as well. I figured you deserve a reward for willingly doing this."

"Thanks, Dad," said Lily. As they set to work, Lily remembered what Professor Trelawney had told her. She knew she had to let her dad know about it, and maybe he'd be able to tell her whether it was true or not.

"Dad, Professor Trelawney asked to see me today," began Lily. "I went to see her, and she told me she had a vision about me."

"Oh?" said Harry.

"Yeah, it was weird," Lily continued and told her father everything that Professor Trelawney had relayed to her. "Is it true, Dad, or was she making it up?"

"I'm not sure, Lily," replied Harry. "Did her voice change when she was telling you this?"

Lily shook her head. "No, it was the same," she said. "She wasn't making a prophecy really. She said it was a vision."

Harry looked thoughtful. "That's interesting," he mused. "So, she had the same dream you had?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, she did," she replied. "What do you think she means by it?"

"I don't know," answered Harry. "But I wouldn't worry about it now. You have Fawkes to protect you, and that's a good thing. Plus, you have me. Nothing is going to happen to you, Lily. I promise." But even as he said this, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Danger was coming, and he was determined to protect his family at all costs.

Lily felt comforted by her father's words and believed them. She knew nothing could hurt her while her dad was there. They finished the filing and went back to Gryffindor Tower. Lily bade her father goodnight, went up to her dormitory, and fell asleep, dreaming about Quidditch and seeing everyone cheer for her. She had no idea that evil was trying to rise again and that it would soon engulf her world.

A/N: Wow. So, now we know a bit about the Heir of the Phoenix. Is Professor Trelawney right, or is she just making it up? Will evil truly rise before good can prevail? Will my mother win the lottery so we can go to Disney World? Stay tuned to find out, and don't forget to leave a review after you've read this. Feedback is a good thing.


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